


False Gods

by jeyliz02, LadySerenityFY



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: B.A.M.F Kara, But Kara doesn't know that she knows, Cat Grant Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Clark Kent bashing, F/F, Genius Kara Danvers, I am Supercorp Trash, James "Jimmy" Olsen Bashing, James is a dick, Kara Is an honorary Amazon, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lena Luthor is Extra, She is seriously Extra, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Smart Kara Danvers, like seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2020-12-27 07:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21115355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeyliz02/pseuds/jeyliz02, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadySerenityFY/pseuds/LadySerenityFY
Summary: Kara has endured a lot of things in her life. Far more than someone her age ever should. But instead of letting her pain and anger consume her, she rose above it all. When Diana Prince found her at the age of 14, she decided that she wasn't going to let her arrogant cousin dictate her life, and embrace being the last true Kryptonian. Training, with Wonder Woman, Kara became the best that she could be, following her true passion in science, and becoming a warrior in the process. However, when she revealed herself to the world as Supergirl, she quickly came to realize that not everything, and everyone, was as it seemed.Follow Kara on her journey of self-discovery, filled with betrayal as well as love. Who will be left standing in the end? The Supers? Or the Luthors?





	1. Chapter 0: Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's journey begins.

Kara Danvers was never supposed to exist, never. She was supposed to be Kara-El, the heir to the Noble House of El. She was supposed to follow in her father’s footsteps, to become one of the greatest scientists that Krypton had ever seen. But that changed and her purpose became that of protecting her baby cousin, Kal-El, but even this would not be.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When her mother woke her, she could immediately tell that something was terribly wrong. She could hear explosions in the distance and feel the world around her shaking. She tried asking her mother what was going on, but she took her hand and rushed her to the hanger bay.

When the arrived at the hangar bay, Kara could see her Aunt and Uncle putting her baby cousin into a pod and sending him off. “Mom, what is going on? Why is Kal-El being sent away?”

Before her mother can answer, however, her father begins speaking.

“Your pod’s coordinates are interlocked with Kal-El’s. You will follow him to Earth.”

“I’m not afraid, father.”

At that, her mother takes her hand. “The trip is long, but you will sleep most of the way and we’ll be with you in your dreams. You will journey to Earth to look after your baby cousin Kal-El. Because of the Earth’s yellow sun, you will have great powers on this planet. You will do extraordinary things.”

“I won’t fail Kal-El, or you.”

Kissing her daughter on her forehead, Alura pulls back. “I love you, Kara.”

As soon as she says that, a large quake rocks the hangar, causing cracks to form in the ceiling.

Wasting no more time, Alura pushes her daughter towards the pod. “You must go, now!”

Kara was about to get in the pod when she turned back to her mother for a final hug. Alura, squeezed her daughter, knowing it would be the final time until she pushes her away again. “Go!”

With that, Kara climbs into her pod, looking back to her parents as it rockets out of the hangar bay. Looking back, Kara watched as Krypton’s surface began to crack, causing massive fountains of lava to shoot into the air. She had just cleared the planet’s orbit when she saw Krypton shatter into dust, an image that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Sitting in her pod, Kara felt the shock wave knock her off course, and her eyes widened in horror when she saw where she was headed. Right in front of her was the Phantom Zone, a region in space where time doesn’t pass.

As her pod’s stasis system finally kicked in, all she could see was darkness. She would sleep there for 24 years until something caused her pod’s navigation system to come back online, finally bringing her to Earth.

However, as soon as the stasis system kicked in fully, she realized that her mother hadn’t been lying when she said that they would be with her in her dreams. She found herself in something akin to a virtual world, where she saw all of her family standing before her.

Looking around confused, Kara had to ask, “Where are we?”

Stepping forward, her mother answers her. “We are in a virtual world, Little One. While everything happened was sudden, we did not want to send you to Earth unprepared, so we made this world for you. All of Krypton’s databases have been stored with you on this pod so here, you will learn everything you need to know about Earth and how to care for a child. This way, when you will arrive on Earth, you will know everything that you need to survive and protect Kal-El.”

“But we are in the Phantom Zone,” becoming morose, Kara continued. “I may never land on Earth.”

This time it is her father who speaks. “Some of your pod’s instruments were damaged from the shockwave, so we are unable to tell where you are. Regardless, you will not be alone, Kara.”

With that, Kara began to learn everything about Earth and how to raise a baby. She learned politics, languages, culture, history, math, and science. But there was only so much information that she could learn considering Krypton’s databases only went as far as 1959 in Earth’s history. So she moved back to her Kryptonian studies.

She learned everything there was to know and more. By the time she crashed to Earth, she had learned everything about Kryptons math and science, their culture and religion, everything. She had even learned about Krypton’s military tactics. She was no longer just a survivor of a dead world. She was now the last legacy of Krypton. She would be the one to carry the memory of Krypton into the future.

After crashing on Earth, the first thing Kara noticed was how bright it was, and how much stronger she felt. In her pod, she had learned everything about the powers that she would have, but even that couldn’t prepare her for how overwhelming it would be. The sounds hit her almost immediately, overwhelming her hearing. She did manage to get a small amount of control, though, so she was no longer in pain.

She didn’t have much time to think about any of that, however, because almost immediately after she landed, the top of her pod was being ripped off.

Standing in front of her was a grown man who was wearing her family’s crest on his chest. He looked so much like her Uncle Jor-El, that she almost thought it was him standing before her, but she knew that she had been stuck in the Phantom Zone and it was impossible for her to tell how much time had passed while she was asleep. All she knew was that the man standing in front of her was most likely Kal-El.

She was terrified, but she knew that she had to find out what was going on. “Kal-El? Rrup iovis nahn?” She whispered hesitantly.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clark didn’t know what to think. For so long, he had thought that he had been the only one to survive Krypton, but here he was, looking at living proof that he was wrong. Sitting in the pod in front of him was a young girl who was wearing his family crest.

“Kal-El?” Hearing his name from the girl snapped him out of his thoughts, and back to reality. While it took him a minute to understand what else she was saying, he understood his name.

Taking his time to form his sentence, he finally responded. “Ta-nim rraop?”

Kara cringed at the butchering of her native language, so she decided it would be better to try and speak to him in an Earth language. Even though he looked shocked, he responded immediately when she repeated her question in English

“Is that you, Kal-El?”

.He couldn’t help but become slightly defensive at the fact that this girl knew his name, but the fact that she was wearing his family crest made him decide to put some trust in her. “How do you know my name?”

Brightening when she realized that this was indeed Kal-El, she jumped out of her pod and hugged him, knocking him back slightly.

“I am so glad that you survived. I am Kara Zor-El, your cousin. My parents sent me after you to protect you but I got trapped inside the Phantom Zone.” Sobering, she had to know how long she slept for. “How long have you been on Earth?” She asked quietly.

Feeling bad at the obvious distress the girl was in, he had to respond. “I landed 24 years ago.”

“Oh… I was supposed to protect you, to raise you and teach you about Krypton.” She burst into tears when she realized that she had failed her parents.

Not knowing what to do, Clark just rubbed her back as she cried.

Finally getting her crying under control, Kara needed to know what was going to happen going forward. “So what do we do now?”

“There is a family that I know, the Danvers. They are going to take care of you and give you a normal life.”

“You mean I won’t be living with you?” She asked, fear apparent in her voice.

“No, I don’t have time to raise a child, Kara. I have a job and a girlfriend. And now I am a hero of this Earth. Living with me wouldn’t be safe.”

As Kara began to realize that Kal-El was going to simply abandon her, she quickly became angry.

“So what? You are just going to abandon me?”

“Kara,” he said, trying to keep her calm, “I am just not ready to raise a teenager…”

“And you think I was ready to raise a baby? I was, am, 13 years old, and I never would have abandoned you. Do you have any idea what Family means on Krypton, Kal-El?”

Becoming annoyed at how ungrateful his cousin was being, Clark couldn’t help but raise his voice. “Krypton is gone, Kara. You are on Earth now and you need to fit in.”

“YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!” She shouted, causing Clark to wince. “I watched it explode. I know just how gone it is. I watched Krypton die, and you want me to fit in? Like you? Is this how you fit in, Kal-El?” she asks while gesturing at his outfit. “Flying around in a blue suit is fitting in?”

“Stop calling me that! My name is Clark, not Kal-El.”

“Rao have mercy,” she scoffs. “So you what, deny your heritage?”

Finally becoming fed up with his cousin, he snaps. “That is enough, Kara. I may not know much about Krypton, but I am the head of the House of El, and you will do as I say.”

Kara couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Oh, Rao! You really believe that, don’t you? I am the head of the House of El, Kal-El. Not you. Besides even if you were the head, no Kryptonian would follow someone who so blatantly disregards their heritage. You can’t even speak Kryptonian. I’ll go where you want me to, but never speak to me again until you properly learn our language.”

Scooping her up, he ignores her protests about needing to retrieve some items from her pod, telling her that he will deal with it later, and brings her to the Danvers, where her new life on Earth would begin.


	2. Chapter 1: Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara isn't having anyones shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of the original posting of this chapter. Inconsistencies have been fixed as well as changing the POV from 1st person to 3rd person.

It had been two weeks since Kal-El, no, Clark had dropped Kara off at the Danvers, and she was furious. While she understood on some level that he had a duty as a second rate journalist and as a hero to Metropolis, it didn’t change the fact that he had abandoned her. She was meant for much bigger things.

She would have died happily on Krypton, held in her mother’s arms, but her mother had asked her to take care of Kal-El. Asked her to live. Who was she to deny that wish? But that was all gone. Kal-El didn’t want her, and the humans he had placed her with wanted her to be just as human as everyone else.

This wasn’t to say that Eliza and Jeremiah were bad people, though. They were actually very kind, although their daughter, Alex, was another matter. But they couldn’t understand, none of them could. They had no idea what it was like to be the last remnant of an entire culture and to be told to fit in, to deny who she was. To be human.

She was perhaps the smartest being on the entire planet, so being told to dumb it down for the sake of safety was frustrating, to say the least. She did it though because she had no other choice. She had to watch as humans killed themselves and their planet, slowly bringing them towards a similar, but far less spectacular, fate that Krypton had suffered. She had to watch as her baby cousin paraded around in her family crest with no real understanding of what it meant to be an El. To Kara, he stopped being family the minute he had decided to abandon her. He hadn’t contacted her at all since she had arrived. Hell, he didn’t even give her a way to contact him. So there was only one thing left that Kara could do, and that was to live.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a month since she had arrived, and Kara was once again sitting next to her new adoptive family watching the news as “Superman” saved the day. She was trying to form a plan and was calculating her chances of survival on her own, refusing to change herself for the sake of the simple-minded. She refused to be this family’s lab rat that they happened to get attached to. She refused to subject herself to an educational system similar to that of toddlers on Krypton. She still followed her role as a Danvers and was even beginning to warm up to the idea of living with them. But she would leave if they made her choose between being human or Kryptonian.

It had been a few months since Kara had landed when Diana Prince found her. She had been sneaking out at night to explore the world, and this time she sat atop a cliff overlooking a small village in Ireland. She was feeling homesick and had felt drawn to this place, although she couldn’t figure out why.

She heard someone coming up behind her when they spoke. 

“Hello Kara, my name is Diana Prince, but you would know me as Wonder Woman.”

“Did my cousin send you here to yell at me for sneaking out? If that is the case, you can go back and tell him to shove it?”

“That is not why I am here, child.” As she said this, she walked up to stand beside Kara. “I have a proposition for you.”

“I am listening.” Gesturing to the patch of grass next to her, Kara watched as she sat.

“I know that you are still new to Earth. Your cousin and I have worked together in the past.” Seeing Kara tense at the mention of her cousin, Diana quickly continued before the girl could flee. “I promise you, I don’t agree with his methods. Family is everything and the way he has treated you has made me lose all of the respect I once held for him.”

“Then why are you here? What do you want from me?” Looking at her for the first time since she arrived, Kara couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. She had sharp, exotic features and long brown hair. She had a soft expression on her face, but Kara could tell that she was a warrior as she had a similar presence to that of her Aunt Astra. She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't help but feel hopeful when looking at Diana.

“Let me take you to my home, let me train you. the best Scholars reside there, and best of all," she said, grinning wickedly, "no men are allowed."

"Now that just sounds too good to be true," Kara said while laughing. She couldn't help but frown, though, at the thought of leaving Alex behind as the two of them had become rather close. "I don't want to leave my sister though. would it be possible to do it nightly? I don't really need to sleep that much and once I graduate high school, I can attend a college like Oxford and train with you more openly. That should hopefully happen in the next one or two years, as I am hoping to graduate high school early.” 

Kara couldn't help but grin at the thought of this new plan. This would be so much better than running away to do things on her own.

“That definitely sounds doable," she says as she shakes my hand. Before letting go, though, she moved her hand farther up Kara’s arm and grasped her by the elbow. “Promise, That this shall remain a secret until such a time that it needs to be revealed.”

Nodding, Kara gripped her arm in the same way. “I promise.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a year now and Kara had slowly become attached to the Danvers, especially Alex. Well they didn't exactly get along at the moment, Alex had never treated her like a science experiment, had never tried to walk on eggshells around her like Eliza. She was blunt and upfront about how she feels as well as smart and goal-oriented. she was the only reason why Kara hadn't run away yet, as she felt that in time they could truly be sisters.

But Kara knew that they were already there. While Alex could be harsh, she was the only one that Kara considered family on this planet, and she would gladly die for her. She was even debating on whether or not to present her with her family crest, which would make her a member of the House of El.

She was even beginning to feel guilty about not telling Alex about how smart she was. Once she started training with Diana, she also began taking college courses through National City University and had already worked through six undergraduate degrees, seeing that the university allowed her to test out of almost every class, and she was working on three more. Her goal was to have all of her undergraduate degrees done by the time that she graduated high school. Even so, it was nice how due to people constantly underestimating her. No one expected nerdy, Sunny Danvers to be so smart, and she used it to her advantage.

She did tell Alex about her training, though, so one night after she got back, she decided to bite the bullet.

“Alex?” She whispered one night.

“Mmmm, yeah?” She mumbled out sleepily.

“Remember how you asked me a couple of nights ago why I sneak out and I told you it was to stargaze?”

Kara could hear as Alex’s heart rate quickened as she woke up fully. Turning to look at her, Alex couldn’t help but notice the black outfit that Kara was wearing.

“Were you lying?” She finally asked.

Taking one last moment to decide if telling Alex was a good idea, she spoke.

“Yes,” Kara responded simply, waiting to see how Alex would react.

“Well then, what exactly have you been doing? Flying off to other countries to taste their food?” Laughing at her own joke.

Kara couldn’t help but chuckle at that, because she had done that a few times. Food was one of the only things that humans got right alongside art and music. Before Alex could reprimand her, though, she decided to explain.

“I may have done that a few times, but that isn’t the main reason. I have been working on controlling my powers.

Hearing that Alex gets up fully, preparing to yell at her sister, but Kara held up her hand to stop her and continued.

“Before you tell me how stupid I am being, I need you to understand that learning how to control my powers based on what humans tell me is just stupid. I love you, but you can’t understand what it is like.”

Alex took a moment, but eventually, she nodded in defeat, looking dejected.

“It’s not that you guys don’t help me, because you do. Really, how many people do you know who would take in a scared alien girl? I will be forever grateful that you guys took me in, especially when I think about where I could have ended up.”

“I mean, Rao knows my washup of a cousin couldn’t handle it.” Upon hearing the hurt in Kara’s voice, Alex hurries to console her sister.

“You know it’s not because he doesn’t love you, right? Because he does, Kara. He’s just trying to let you have an ordinary life.”

“Alex, the minute I got on that pod, I accepted a life further from ordinary. I knew that when I got to earth, I’d have powers because of the sun. Rao Alex, I helped my father find this planet for Kal. The only thing that surprised me was that I was to go with him, but that is beside the point. The point is that I just needed to tell you what I was doing at night because I trust you and I felt bad about lying. I trust you to keep this to yourself.”

Alex nodded quickly at that. Despite being more confused than ever, she was starting to look at Kara in a new light.

“Yeah no, your secret is safe with me. Eliza and Jeremiah would have a hissy fit, and what you’re doing does make sense. Thank you for sharing this with me. I just want you to be safe.” Kara looks at her for a minute before going to the closet they shared and taking out a bag she hid there every night.

“In there are notes. They detail my powers, my limits, and my strengths. Alex, I am most likely 14 right now, and I’m stronger than Superman. At least, that is what I figure from comparing my notes with your dad’s notes. I make sure I’m never in the same place twice and I make sure no one ever sees me by using abandoned warehouses and caves. I just, Alex, I don’t want to do all of this alone and you’re the only person I trust to do it with.”

“Thank you for trusting me with this, Kara. What I am wondering, though, what do you mean you are most likely 14?”

“Well, I don’t know my real birthday so I’m just basing it off the time I arrived here on earth.”

Alex could tell by Kara’s sad smile that she wasn’t really happy with this fact. Wanting to comfort her sister, she rushed forward to wrap her up in a tight hug. She could tell that Kara was slightly shocked by her sudden show of affection, but she eventually reciprocated, resting her head on Alex’s shoulder.

After a while, Kara finally spoke. “This is a long hug.” It was said so quietly that Alex would have missed it had Kara’s head not been on her shoulder.

Thinking that she had somehow upset her, Alex went to pull away, whispering a quick sorry as she did so. However, before she could escape Kara’s grasp she felt her sister’s arms grip her even tighter.

“I’m not complaining, just stating a fact.”

“I do have another question, though,” Alex finally said.

“Ask away then.”

“My dad's notes about you state you’re at equal strength with your cousin, not stronger. Are you holding back with my dad?”

“Quite simply, yes,” Kara said as she pulled away from her sister, waiting for her to elaborate further.

“But why would you do that?”

“My Aunt Astra always taught me to never let anyone know all my moves. She taught me to keep my best moves to myself, be it an enemy or my friend. She told me that no one should ever know the true extent of my abilities, that way I would always have the upper hand. Even now as I show you these notes, I am still keeping a lot of my abilities to myself. This isn’t because I don’t trust you, but because I was taught to be this way. It is more for my own comfort than mistrust in you.” Kara explained all of this to her sister as carefully as she could, not wanting Alex to be hurt.

“Your Aunt Astra sounds wise. I promise I understand, I do, it just makes me feel like I barely know you,” she said, looking at Kara sadly. “It makes me think that this entire time, I have never known the real you.”

“While I understand why you would think that about me, I want you to know that you know me better than anyone on this planet. You are the only reason that I didn’t run away from here. I promise that, in time, I will tell you everything. Just give me some time.”

With that, Kara stepped back, waiting for Alex’s response.

“Well, as much as this has been an...enlightening night, I believe you have a session to get back to. Thank you for sharing this with me, it means more than you know.” 

Kara nodded, smiling gently at her sister, feeling a weight finally lift itself off her shoulders.

Kara quickly climbed out through the window and flew off towards another abandoned warehouse in yet another country. For the first time since she began doing this, however, she failed to check her surroundings. If she had, she would have noticed that she was being watched.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After that night, Kara and Alex continued to grow closer, a new understanding having formed between them. Kara found herself opening up to Alex more and more, and Alex was doing the same. They even solved a murder together and were closer than ever before. There was nothing that could come between until one fateful night, a night that would change them forever.

It had been a few months since Kara had told Alex what she had been up to at night, and they were sitting in the living room watching television together when the doorbell rang. Using her x-ray vision, Kara immediately saw that there were a bunch of men in suits standing outside. They rang the doorbell again, and Kara immediately super-sped upstairs with Alex and hid behind the banister.

When Eliza and Jeremiah opened the door, Kara could immediately hear them gasping at whatever they saw. Knowing something was definitely up, Kara decided to eavesdrop, even though Eliza had told her not to.

Downstairs, Eliza and Jeremiah waited for the man in front of them to speak.

"We're not here to do any harm. We're just here because Kara has been going out flying at night, and she can't be seen doing that." Shocked that they even know about Kara and her abilities, they let her continue.

Back upstairs Kara froze, wondering how this man knew about her.

“From the information that Superman has provided, we understand that she is his little cousin, correct?” Kara couldn’t help but scrunch her nose at that ‘little’ cousin remark. She couldn’t believe that Clark had been telling the government about her.

“Yes, that is correct.” It’s Eliza that says this, and the apprehension was clear in her voice.

“Right. Well, from what we can see, and I mean this with no disrespect, is that you aren’t doing a very good job of handling her. The government proposes a deal be made. We watch over you, and ensure that everything is taken care of so that we have all our bases crossed.” At this, Kara raised her eyebrows in surprise. Who the hell did they think they were. Rude.

“We do the best we can with what we have, so that sounds fair.” Kara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe that Eliza was going to just take that jab at her parenting skills.

“What’s the catch?” Jeremiah speaks up for the first time. Kara was glad that someone was finally asking the important questions.

The man sighed at this. “One of you must be willing to be recruited and share your findings on the girl.”

Kara could immediately hear Eliza and Jeremiah begin to protest, but the woman immediately cuts them off. “You don’t really have a choice in this matter. Either one of you comes to work for us, or we take the girl. Your choice.” 

“Her name is Kara, and she isn't just going to hide away like that. We have tried everything. How do you think you can do any better?” While no more words were said, Kara heard Eliza and Jeremiah gasp at something.

A few moments later, Eliza calls both Kara and Alex downstairs. Eliza has a gentle grin on her face, but what really worries Kara is the sly one coming from Jeremiah. As nice as they both are, they really do toot their own horns too much.

“We have tried everything, Kara. So if you won’t listen to us, maybe you will listen to her.”

Throwing her eyebrows and confusion, Kara followed Eliza into the living room where she saw a woman waiting for them. Her back was turned to them, but Kara immediately noticed something familiar about her, even though she couldn't place it. However, as soon as the woman turned around, Kara immediately knew why she had seemed so familiar. There, standing in front of her, was her mother. Or at least, it was someone who looked exactly like her.

“Hi sweety, I’m Noel Neil with the FBI. I am here due to an uptick in alien activity. We, as in the FBI and I, are aware of you and your cousin.” Kara couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow at this, despite the tears streaming down her face.

“Is that so?” she said quietly.

“Yes. Now, from my understanding, you and your sister have recently suffered a great loss and decided to take it upon your selves to solve the case.”

“His name was Kenny Lee.” Kara frowned at her, wondering when she would get to the point.

“Yes, and I’m sorry for your loss, but under no circumstances are you to be utilizing your powers.”

“But we solved the case-”

“I know that you and your sister were driven off the road.”

"But I’m fine, we’re both fine.”

“You are fine because you are invincible. Your sister is fine because she got lucky.”

“What’s your point.”

“My point is that you can’t be going out seeking danger. You need to lay low. I understand feeling like you got some responsibility to your family you have to uphold...”

“My family?” Kara says, cutting off the “FBI” agent.

Ignoring Kara's interruption, the agent continues speaking. “And that you feel pressured to walk in Superman’s shoes and be like him...”

“Be like him?” Kara interrupts again, a look of confusion forming on her face.

“But you have to understand that this is for your own good.”

“My own good?!” Kara finally raised her voice at this, causing the imposter to finally shut up. Alex looked between Kara and the woman, frowning., right as Eliza and Jeremiah rushed in to try and diffuse whatever happened but it was too late. 

“You think that because my cousin prances around in tights, wearing my family crest, that I want to be like him?! Sure, saving people is an honorable cause, and selfless at that, but what does abandoning your last living family member make him?” Kara glared at the woman before gesturing towards Eliza and Jeremiah.

“I appreciate being left with them, I do, because at least they care, but right now I’m not so sure.” Eliza and Jeremiah looked hurt at this, but Kara was on a roll.

“Now you listen here, Agent Noel Niel of the FBI. It is one thing to abandon your family to someone else for flimsy reasons. But leaving me with a family of scientists that seem to only care about making me appear human, as if that is some saving grace, is a whole other issue. But, I do understand the need to hide your true self though, as I am sure you do as well. I mean, being an agent for the DEO and a shapeshifter, I am sure you understand the need for secrecy.” The woman tenses and goes to argue but Kara doesn't let her.

“Yes, I know about the DEO, but that is beside the point. Shape-shifting into my dead mother is a new low. How any of you,” Kara makes sure to look at Eliza and Jeremiah as well, “thought this was a good idea is beyond me. I may be young, but I’m not stupid."

"I'm not a shape-shifter, sweetie, and I am sorry that I look like your mom. My intention was never to hurt you."

Scoffing, Kara looks the woman up and down, knowing that she was lying. “You know, you may outwardly look like my mother, you may even have the same organs, but I can see the truth.”

“I promise you, I’m…”

“I’M NOT FINISHED YET!” Stunned into silence by Kara’s sudden outburst, Kara quickly took the opportunity to continue. “As I was saying, you may look perfect on the outside, and even anatomically, but the molecular composition of your cells tells me the truth. Tell me, what would happen if I pushed you into that fireplace, shapeshifter? I may not know what particular species you are, but I do know that the one thing all shapeshifters have in common is their weakness to fire.” Kara quickly glanced back at Eliza and Jeremiah, but neither of them would look her in the eye. Looking back at the imposter, she continued. “I don’t care who you really are, but don’t talk to me like I am stupid. You have no idea just how smart I really am.”

“As for ‘Superman’, I couldn’t care less about him. As far as I’m concerned, Kal-El is dead as well. He doesn’t deserve to wear that crest on his chest, and I don’t want to be like him. Saving someone’s life is not me following in his footsteps, it’s me being a decent person with straightened out morals."

"I understand,” the shapeshifter grudgingly replied.

“That’s what I thought.” Turning again towards Eliza and Jeremiah, this time fully facing them, Kara addresses them.

“You can go ahead and work for her, I’m sure you can compare notes on how to control and manipulate me.” Kara didn’t care about the hurt that washed over their faces, she was too angry. Instead, she super-sped upstairs to her room, ignoring Alex who was calling her name and taking off out of her window. She didn’t care where she went, she just needed to go somewhere where no one could find her.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara was in Ireland, overlooking the same village that she had been when Diana first found her when Clark found her. She was just about to leave to fly to Themyscira, but that was out of the question now.

“ _ Why are you here Clark _ ?” Kara spoke in Kryptonian, and she couldn’t help but keep the venom out of her voice as she spoke to him. She hadn’t seen or spoke to him in almost two years, and when he finally does decide to get involved is when she does something that he doesn’t like.

“You know that I can’t understand Kryptonian that well, Kara.” He was trying to keep his voice level, but she could tell that he was annoyed with her. “So please, don’t use it.”

“ Très bien, je ne parlerai pas en Kryptonian. Est-ce mieux?” She couldn’t help but respond in French, wanting to mess with him.

He seemed surprised at the fact that she was fluent in French but ignored it for the time being. “English, Kara.”

“Oh, that’s right, you don’t care about your heritage. It appears you don’t even care about other cultures around the world. So, why are you here Clark?”

“Eliza told me what happened.” Rao even his voice was annoying her.

“Oh yeah? So you gave her a way to contact you, but not me? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me when I first landed?” Seeing him about to continue, Kara spoke again, not giving him the chance. “Tell me ‘Superman’,” she couldn’t help but sneer at the name, “which parts did she leave in?”

Deciding to ignore her attitude for the time, he spoke. “She didn’t leave anything out, at least I don’t think she did.” He chuckles softly but stops abruptly when he realized she wasn’t laughing along with him.

“Look, I know you don’t understand right now why I left, but...”

“No Clark. I understand perfectly. Do you?” Looking over at him, Kara could see his perplexed expression.

“What do you mean?”

“You said at first it was to protect me, correct?”

“Yes, and it is.”

“No, it’s not, because if you took the time to get to know me, you’d know that I’m very much faster, smarter, and stronger than you Clark. Had you bothered to check, we could have been partners. But I know you’re some lone wolf, destined to work alone oh wait you don’t. You couldn’t care less about my safety, Clark.”

His eyebrows furrowed and his frown deep he goes to interject, “That’s not true Kar...”

“Yes, it is Clark! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten so close to Lois Lane, James Olsen, and Lex Luthor, though that last one seems to be becoming a problem right? What about their safety? They are human, yet you let them become involved in your life.” Pausing to look at him, Kara can see him tense up at the mention of Lex Luthor, but she continues nonetheless.

“It’s not because you wished for me to be safe, it is because you didn’t want to deal with the responsibility of raising a teenager, or do you not remember telling me that? You made a choice to abandon your last living relative because it’s one thing to know you’re not human, but it is a whole other thing to see it personified. You love being human, Clark, it keeps you grounded I suppose. Having me around would’ve been a constant reminder that you’re not human, that you’re different and unique. The last son of Krypton, pfft. As if Krypton would accept your deeds. You don’t even know the language. What about the holidays? The prayers?”

Kara could see how stunned Clark was at her response, but he still tried to defend himself.

“I wasn’t ready to take care of you Kara.”

“I didn’t even want to leave Krypton, Clark!” She saw the shock on his face, but she continued. “I lived to protect you. I know I was late, that's for damn sure, but protecting you wasn’t supposed to be physical. I was supposed to keep you Kryptonian, but you haven’t even bothered to learn the language in my absence. You’ve only ever used your Fortress as a means to contain weapons and to take your little girlfriend out for some peace and quiet. I bet you don’t even know half of the things that are inside there.” Throughout her rant, Kara had begun speaking softer and softer, tired of being angry, but not tired enough to forgive.

“I should have had a fortress of my own, Clark, but...”

“What do you mean you should have had your own fortress, and why do you keep calling me Clark? The last time I saw you, you refused to call me that.”

“To think yourself so important that you’d be the only one with a place of your own? Rao Clark, that’s arrogant of you.”

He scoffs and crosses his arms, seemingly not being comfortable being called out like this.

“Why do you think I wanted to get stuff out of my pod before you rushed me off to the Danvers? You told me that you would take care of it, but you never did. Although, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at your constant failings.” Crossing her arms, she looks at him intently before she continues.

“As for why I’m calling you by your human name, it is because as the head of the House of El, I don’t believe you deserve to be called by the name you were given on Krypton. You have so easily dismissed Krypton as just being your place of origin, never bothering to learn its history nor the damn language. Not to mention you expect me to treat you as if you’re some high and mighty superhero? No.”

“You’re not the Head of House though, I am.”

At this Kara bursts out laughing, unable to contain herself.

“Do you really think you’re the head? Oh my Rao.” She couldn’t help but chuckle some more at his red face.

“Rao, that was a good laugh, thank you. My Mother and my Father were the heads of our house and were the Head of the High Council of Krypton. Do you really think that you would be the leader because what? You happen to be physically older than me? No, I am still older than you, not to mention smarter than you, fluent in the language, and actually capable of...”

“Krypton is dead, Kara!” Clark began shouting, cutting her off. “There is no house to lead! The sooner you let go of this notion that you are going to get to live as a Kryptonian, the better!” Her face darkened at that, but he either didn’t notice or didn't care. Either way, Kara lets him continue his rant, watching as he dug himself deeper and deeper. “The only thing you can do now is be human! The world doesn’t need another Superhero, so let this go! I don’t understand why you are being so ungrateful after everything that I have done for you.”

Finally having enough of his ignorant tirade, Kara snaps at him. “How dare you!” she says in a low voice, stepping towards him. She was on the verge of losing it, and her heat vision was beginning to flare in her eyes. “I know this better than anyone, Clark.” She sees him flinch at the snarl on her face, but she doesn’t stop. “I watched it burn and explode for fucks sake, you think I don’t know that!? Not to mention, you have the gall to tell me that I need to be human. I am the last Kryptonian, Clark. I am the last memory of a dead culture, and I will not let it fade by pretending to be human. Then you go and tell me not to be a Superhero. What, are you afraid of sharing the spotlight, Clark? Are you afraid of me doing better than you?”

Clark could very clearly see that he had crossed a line, but he was also mad at her insinuations. “Look, Kara, I’m sorry but…”

“SHUT IT, CLARK! I AM SPEAKING!” Clark immediately shuts up at that and Kara continues. “You will either work to become a better member of the House of El, or I will forcibly remove that crest from your chest. I knew that you would come looking for me, so here I am, warning you to watch yourself. I am sick and tired of you, and everyone else, telling me that they are doing things for my own good when they are anything but. Once I am older you won’t be the only Super and nothing you say or do will ever change that outcome. Tell your friends at the government that they have won for now, but that they will look foolish trying to go up against me.”

Not waiting for him to respond, she took off and flew away. Clark tried to keep up with her but eventually falls behind, until he is nowhere to be seen.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Jeremiah had been taken, Kara’s relationship with Alex began to go downhill. Alex had begun to blame her for things more and more, and the trust that they had was crumbling. A few months after her spat with Clark, they received word that Jeremiah had been killed. The DEO never shared any details, but this was what destroyed her relationship with her sister. Alex saw it as Kara’s fault that her father had been killed, not caring that she was hurting as well.

The relationship that they once had was gone now, so all Kara could do was focus on her education. She was almost 15 now, and by forging Eliza’s signature on some documents, she had been able to test out of most of her classes without anyone noticing. Because of this, she would be graduating at the end of the current year, which was only a few months away.

Alex’s, and her, graduation date finally rolled around when Kara decided it was time to break the news to Eliza that she was graduating as well.

“Thank you, Principal Jenkins, have a good night.” Eliza had at least had the grace to not challenge Kara’s graduation in front of her principal, but she could see in her eyes that she was upset with her.

As soon as they got home, Eliza began yelling at Kara. “You’re graduating this year? You’re supposed to graduate two years from now, Kara, not now, I thought I told you to not stand out?!” 

Kara couldn’t help but feel annoyed at Eliza’s reaction. She understood that tensions were running high in their house, with Alex shutting everyone out, and Eliza stressed from having to raise two teenage girls alone. “Last I checked, I’m not the only kid my age graduating this year. It’s normal for some kids to graduate early and I would know, I did on Krypton.” Kara had never shared that piece of information before, but she hoped that it would be enough to calm Eliza down.

“God Dammit Kara, I’m sorry, but you can’t just, not tell me these things okay? I was caught off guard and I don’t like being caught off guard.”

Kara realized that she messed up and couldn’t help but feel guilty, playing with her mother’s necklace. “I’m sorry Eliza. I just didn’t want to stay there any longer. Nothing against the student body or anything, I just didn’t want to do it alone. And with Alex barely talking to either of us, I thought it best to distance myself after graduation. I’m telling you now, that I will be going to Oxford University in England, I’ve sent out an application, and the acceptance letter should be coming in soon.”

“What makes you think you’d get accepted anyway,” Alex calls, coming down the stairs from where she had been eavesdropping.

Kara sighed and continued to fidget with her mother’s necklace. “I had a good reference and getting into a school isn’t as hard as getting into one on Krypton.” Alex got to the bottom of the stairs, and Kara could see the annoyance on her face.

“And that’s another thing, just how smart are you Kara? Not once have you asked for any help for school in all the time you’ve been here. You make it seem as if Earth education is a breeze.” Kara looked to Eliza for help as Alex continued to glare at her, but she could see that Eliza was curious as well.

“My family was able to build advanced spaceships in secret to transport two kids light-years away while having them in a coma so they wouldn’t have to suffer the repercussions. Krypton was thousands of years ahead in technology and science, we were born in pods for Rao's sake. Did you really think I wouldn’t be smart enough to pass calculus? I took that math class in my first year!” Both Alex and Eliza looked surprised at this.

“But I guess I won’t be able to hide this from you forever. I have already completed my undergraduate degrees. When I go to Oxford, I will be working on my Masters degrees.” Kara watched as the look on their faces went from surprise to shock, neither of them expecting her to be that smart.

“I helped my father in his office on more than one occasion and helped my mom write case reports for her Judicator roles. I was 7 when I built my first robot. I don’t know what you want me to say, I’ve followed your rules, I’ve kept my head down and I haven’t used my powers since Jeremiah was recruited, if I want to advance my resume here to find a decent job with a good education, I will. If you won’t allow me to do even that, I know someone who is more than willing to take me in.” Kara stood defiantly, looking at them both.

“How many degrees do you already have, Kara?” Eliza asked softly.

Deciding that they will find out eventually, Kara goes up to her room and retrieves all of the degrees that she had kept hidden so far. When she heads back downstairs, she puts them all on the table for them to see. “I have fifteen degrees so far. They are all from different schools so no one would ask any questions.”

Kara watched as the level of shock on their faces increased even more. Finally, Eliza spoke. “How did you afford all of this, Kara?”

“As I said, I have someone who is more than willing to take me in. They were the one who funded all of this for me.”

Before Eliza could speak, though, Alex jumped in. “Who is it that would have taken you in, Kara? No other person should know your identity, so who is it?” 

“I can’t tell you that.” At that Alex storms out, heading back upstairs.

“I’m sorry.” Is all Eliza says before she sits back down and puts her head in her hands. “I didn’t realize how much I was smothering you, how much I was trying to make you fit into this image. I’m just sorry for limiting you.” She has tears in her eyes now.

“No, please don’t cry. I’m grateful for all that you have done Eliza, I am and I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, I just felt like all you wanted, all everyone wanted, was for me to be human. I felt like everyone was trying to strip me of my identity of Kara-El, and I felt threatened. Being Kara-El, being Kryptonian, it means everything to me and I can’t lose that.”

At this Eliza hugged Kara, continuing to cry on her shoulder. "Why sweety? Why did you hide this part of yourself?”

“I assumed being ordinary meant dumbing myself down to the level of others so that they didn’t expect anything from me.” Eliza frowned at this and cupped Kara’s face.

“I’m sorry that you felt you had to hide yourself from me. I understand hiding yourself at school, it was necessary, but us? Your family? I’m sorry you had to hide here, you shouldn’t have had to.” Is all she says before she’s hugging her again.

After a while, she lets go and asks what Masters programs she intended to enroll in.

“As many as I can Eliza, starting with Biochemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, Nuclear Engineering, Quantum Mechanics, Chemical Engineering, Astronomy, Business, Modern Languages, and Linguistics.”

“That’s a lot to put on your plate so soon, are you sure?” she asks while rubbing Kara’s arms in comfort.

“Yep, I’ve never told you this, but before Krypton...died, I was going to be the youngest science guild member in over a millennium. That should be a rough estimate about just how capable I am.” She decided that it was best not to tell anyone except Diana about her pod, and how it had taught her even more, for now. “The only thing I ask is that you don’t tell Clark any of this.”

With that, she got up and picked up her degrees, leaving Eliza with her mouth agape. Heading upstairs, she tried to talk to Alex, but she refused to listen unless Kara gave her a name, which she was unwilling to do because of the promise that she had made to Diana.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moving to England was one of the best things that Kara had ever done. The freedom was amazing. She could do so much more, and the best part was that the DEO had no jurisdiction there. She trained with Diana almost every night, and on the weekends she would fly to Themyscira with her and train with the rest of the Amazons, not to mention all of her breaks.

Now that Kara could train in earnest, she progressed rapidly. Getting to train with the Amazons was incredible, and she finally felt like she had found a home, even though she very much loved Eliza now. After she had moved out, their bond grew immensely. Eliza called her every Sunday and they talked for hours. She even came out to visit when she could. Kara had tried to keep in contact with Alex, despite their strained relationship, but she was mostly AWOL now. The few times they had spoken during her time at Oxford had been brief, and they didn’ share any meaningful information.

By the time that four years had gone by, Kara had worked her way through ten Masters degrees and she was almost at a point where she could beat Diana in a fight. She wished that she could stay longer, but she knew that it was time for her to return to Midvale so she decided that she would complete her Ph.D.’s at a university somewhere in the United States.

When she finally returned to Midvale after four years she didn’t know what she was expecting but seeing everything exactly the same didn’t surprise her. She still hadn’t told Eliza or Alex about Diana, because besides the promise that she had made, she didn’t think they would appreciate her going off to a remote island to train.

Deciding to attend National City University had been a last-minute decision, but she wanted to build her own empire one day, so she decided that she would start small. She was going to work for Cat Grant while she completed her Doctorates. She had already applied and had been hired as Cat’s Executive Assistant, so she would be able to learn from the best before starting out on her own.

As Kara walked up to a house that she hadn’t seen in four years, Kara could immediately smell food. Using her x-ray vision, she could see that Eliza was hard at work making a chocolate pecan pie, and Kara couldn’t help but smile at that. What she didn’t expect, however, was to see Alex sitting in the living room.

“Well this should be fun,” Kara muttered to herself, taking a quick glance at the motorcycle parked in the driveway that had to belong to Alex. Not hesitating any longer, she walked into the house.

Eliza noticed her almost immediately and rushed to hug her. “Oh Honey! I’m so glad you’re here, I’ve missed you so much!” Because of their frequent talks, they were much closer than when she left so Kara immediately fell into the hug that the older woman gave her.

After stepping back from Eliza, Kara looked to Alex, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression, causing her to tense up awkwardly. “Hi, Alex. Uh nice bike,” she said gesturing toward the driveway. Instead of responding, she got up and walked over to give Kara a hug.

Slightly confused at this, Kara hesitated, but she eventually wrapped her arms around Alex, feeling hopeful that they would finally begin repairing their strained relationship. She had missed this.

“I thought you hated me, Alex,” Kara said, pulling away from her after a while. Alex frowned before she finally responded.

“I never hated you Kara, and I am sorry I was so difficult with you. That wasn’t right.” Not knowing how to respond, Kara looked down to fiddle with the ring that Diana had given her as a goodbye present. It was golden and thick, with an engravement on the inside.

“It’s, well it’s not okay, but I forgive you. I mean, I wasn’t innocent in what happened, I know that. My idiocy is what got me caught in the first place and I’m sorry,” Kara said, smiling softly. Looking over at Eliza, she could see tears in her eyes.

“Oh look at my two girls home again. Ugh, group hug!” She quickly wrapped her arms around both of them, pulling everyone together. Kara couldn’t help but wrap her arms around both of them and lift them up off the floor slightly. She hadn’t felt this good in a while, everyone was laughing and giggling, and it was nice.

“So,” The older woman claps her hands excitedly and looks between the two of them, “who’s hungry for dinner?” Kara laughed at that because everyone knew how much she ate.

They ate in silence for a while until Alex finally spoke. “So, how was school, Kara?” Kara looked up at that, her mouth full of pie.

Kara swallowed roughly and laughed a little. “It was really good. I got a couple of Masters and I am going to attend National City University to get my Ph.D.’s.”

“Ph.D.’s? As in plural?” Alex asked, eyebrows furrowed. Not accusingly like last time though, more curious.

“Yep! Biochemistry, Computer Engineering, Computer & Information Science, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Quantum Mechanics. Then I have a Masters in Mathematics, Theoretical Mathematics, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Business, Modern Languages, and Linguistics.” Kara says continuing her eating after finishing. After a moment of silence, Kara looked up at them to see both of them in shock.

“Wow, I will only be getting one Ph.D. and you’re getting six? Just, wow.”

“Well you’re the smartest person I know, so I have no doubt that you will be able to get that degree. What do you plan to do with it?” Kara smiled widely at her sister, incredibly proud of her.

“I want to start my fellowship program. I will be attending National City University, so I will start there. I got a couple of references up my sleeve.” Kar smiled even wider at that, excited that they were both going to be at NCU.

“Oh Rao, you’re going to National City too? Me too! I’m transferring to National City University to finish school and I’m going to work for Cat Grant like the Cat Grant isn’t that exciting?” Kara could hear Alex’s heart rate increases slightly, perhaps in excitement as well.

“Oh wow, that’s great! Maybe we can get lunch on our breaks. I didn’t know you wanted to be a reporter, though. I thought you didn’t want to follow in your cousin's footsteps…” Alex trails off as she sees Kara’s smile vanish at the mention of her cousin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s ok. It’s not like you could have known I haven’t seen or heard from him in almost five years. Also, I’m not going to be a reporter, I’m working as her assistant. I want to work for a powerful woman who built her own empire to see how she works. I just want to shadow her, to be like her in a way you know?”

“He hasn’t done anything? Not even a single letter? He hasn’t even tried?” Alex asks softly. Kara looked up at her and smiled at her protective tone, and shook her head.

“Nope, but that’s okay because he knows what’s coming for him soon.” At that, they both looked a bit puzzled, but Kara just smiled and continued on with eating her pie.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next five years, Kara and Alex became incredibly close again. It was almost like they hadn’t fought for almost five years. They had a sister night almost every week and they told each other everything. Or at least, almost everything. Kara still hadn’t told Alex about Diana, and Alex refused to elaborate on where she worked, saying that she worked in a lab. Kara knew that she was lying because she always came home smelling like gunpowder, but she didn’t push her. She didn’t want to ruin what they were building together.

After almost five years working for Cat Grant, Kara had learned more than she ever would have on her own. She had encountered plenty of entitled old white men and had been called sweetheart one too many times, but she fought through it. She was almost 24 now, and she could almost always put someone like that in their place.

Her best friend right now was Winn. He was a nice guy and he was a tech nerd for the IT department. They had had a small mishap with unrequited feelings on his end, but they came back up from that, closer than ever.

She was at home one night when she saw the news about a plane malfunctioning. A plane going to Geneva. She knew that Alex was on that plane, so she quickly sprang into action. She had been preparing to reveal herself to the world for some time now, so she was prepared.

Quickly putting on her new suit she couldn’t help but look at herself in the mirror for a moment. It was a deep blue bodysuit with gold lining. It was soft to the touch and didn’t look that sturdy, but this suit had taken the best seamstress on Themyscira quite a long time to make. Her family crest sat squarely in the middle of her chest in bright gold, which symbolized her status as the head of the House of El. There was also a red cape, which was also lined in gold. Finally, there was an image inducer of her own design that would alter her facial appearance ever so slightly so that she would be unrecognizable as Kara Danvers.

Quickly looking away from the mirror, she sped out of her window and flew off into the night. Flying made her feel free, there was nothing else like it, but she didn’t have time to enjoy the feeling of it as she quickly caught up with the plane. As she approached, one of the engines fell off, coming right towards her, but she snatched it out of the sky and deftly threw it into National City Bay, keeping it from falling on the city. 

After dealing with the engine, she moved herself under the plane and punched up to grab onto the nose gear. Not wasting any time, she pushed the plane upwards as she saw they were approaching Otto Binder Bridge. Luckily, she was able to clear the bridge without and damage to it. After clearing the bridge, she slowly guided the plane down to the surface of the bay, bringing it in for a soft water landing. Once the plane was safe on the water, she pushed it towards the shore, being careful not to sink it, until it was safely grounded on National City Beach.

Flying out from under the plane, she hovered above the left wing of the plane, using her x-ray vision to ensure that everyone was okay. After she knew everyone was uninjured, save for some minor cuts and bruises, she looked to the person she was the most worried about. She saw Alex looking at her through the window in astonishment, and she just knew that she was going to hear about this later.

Quickly waving at the cameras and smiling, she shot off into the night, leaving National City to wonder who their new caped hero was.


	3. Chapter 2: Kara Did an Oopsie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark shows up and gets put in his place, sort of. Kara subtly confronts Alex about some shady business and Cat is Cat. Winn is also Winn.

After making sure that no one was watching her, Kara quickly flew back into her apartment through her open window. Before changing out of her suit, Kara took a few moments to think back through the events that had just transpired. She thought through the rescue over and over again in her head, trying to think of anything that she could have done better. When she was satisfied that she had done everything that she was able to, her thoughts drifted to Alex.

She knew that Alex would most likely be upset with her, and she was not looking forward to that conversation, as they had finally become close again. She didn’t want to ruin what they had built, but she wasn’t going to give this up. Then her thoughts drifted to Clark. While she had an idea of how Alex would react, Clark was a wildcard. 

She had told him that he needed to try and be a better member of the House of El and that he actually needed to learn about his heritage. She never expected him to be perfect, but she did expect him to try, and so far she hadn’t heard anything from him. That conversation was over five years ago now, and she was almost certain that he had completely ignored her.

However, she couldn’t help but grin at his discomfort. In their last conversation, he had made it clear that she was to be human to the best of her ability, and that the world didn’t need another Super. He was so used to being the only one in the spotlight, the only Kryptonian on Earth. She had a very strong feeling that he would not take sharing the fame very well, especially when it becomes clear that Kara is better than him in every way.

All of a sudden, she was brought back from her musings by the sound of her phone going off. She walked over to where she had left it in her bedroom, and she immediately saw a barrage of texts and missed phone calls from both Alex and Winn, as well as one message from Eliza, asking if she was alright.

Kara quickly responded to Eliza’s message, letting her know that she was fine and that she would call her in a few days to talk to her. After that, she looked at the notifications from Alex and Winn, and she could see just how different their thoughts and opinions were. Winn was very clearly excited at the implications of National City having their very own Super, whereas Alex was very direct and to the point. There were things like ‘We will talk when I get home’ and ‘You should have told me this is what you were preparing’.

She was just about to call Alex to see when she would be arriving when she was distracted by the very distinct sound of boots landing on her living room floor. Walking out of her bedroom, she was not at all surprised to see her cousin standing there in full Super regalia.

“Well, that didn’t take you very long. Why are you here, Clark?” She put her phone down and walked towards him, preparing for an argument. She wondered if he got off on yelling at her since that was the only way that he seemed to speak to her.

“You know why I’m here, Kara. Why would you go and expose yourself like that? I thought you wanted to live your life as a normal...”

“Seriously, Clark?” She was quite annoyed already, and she didn’t want to deal with his crap any longer than she had to. “I never said anything of the sort. The last time that we spoke  _ you _ told me that I had to be human and live a normal life and I told you that I had no intention of doing any such thing. I told you this over five years ago, or have you forgotten? Maybe you should have your memory checked. We wouldn’t want to have a Superhero with dementia running around, after all.” Kara stared intently at him, her arms crossing defensively.

“Really, Kara? Is everything a game to you? Do you ever take anything seriously?” Kara could hear that he was getting annoyed with her, and she had to suppress a grin.

“I’m not Harley Quinn, Clark. I take most things quite seriously. What I can’t take seriously, however, is you. You only show up to yell at me and then you prattle on about how much danger I am putting myself in, completely ignoring everything that I have to say. Honestly, I think you feel threatened by me.”

“That is preposterous, Kara.”

“Ohh, look at you, using big boy words. Lois would be so proud of you.” Kara couldn’t help but mock him some more.

“Would you just let me finish, Kara?” She doesn’t say anything and simply gestures for him to continue. “Yes, I listened to you then, but I just assumed that you were being a stubborn kid!” He was pacing now, his arms gesturing wildly in his frustration. “I thought that you were just mad at me for growing up without you. I just thought that you were too young to understand why I had to leave you with the Danvers. Is that what this is all about?”

“You just thought. That is exactly the problem, you just thought. You were so busy caring about what you thought, that you never bothered to ask what I thought. Your entire world revolves around you, Clark. You don’t care what anyone thinks unless they are agreeing with you.”

“I understand perfectly why you had to leave me with the Danvers, Clark. But you never came back, you never visited. When I first landed, I was in pain almost all of the time due to my hearing, but you didn’t care. All I wanted was for my last living family to help me, but you couldn’t even do that much for me. You abandoned me the first chance you had.”

Kara saw a look pass over Clark’s face that she could almost believe was regret, but she knew better.

“I was just trying to keep you safe Kar...”

“Safe? I have never been safer than I am on this planet, Clark. I understand now that I would have been put in danger had I been associated with Superman, but I stopped wanting to fight beside you, Instead, all I wanted was to be a part of your life, but you refused to even give me that. You never even tried to stay in contact with me.”

“Kara, I told you that I wasn’t ready to raise a child. Besides, I didn’t come here to repeat this fight. You shouldn’t have done that. Have you even thought about the consequences of becoming a Super? It’s a big responsibility, one I don’t think you are ready for if you’re still holding such a tight grudge..” He crosses his own arms in defense as well. 

“Really? I am the one holding a grudge? I’m not the one who shows up and tries to dictate someone else’s life when they do something I don’t like. But speaking of consequences, have you thought about the consequences that you will face?”

He looked at her confused, so she decided to elaborate. “I thought you said you listened to me the last time we spoke? I told you that if I told you that you would either work to become a better member of the House of El or I would forcibly remove that crest from you. You have six months to show me that you are actually trying, or I will remove you from the House of El.”

“You can’t…”

“I can, and I will. I am the head of the House of El Clark, and it is time that you realized that. So please, get off your high horse and get out of my apartment if you aren’t going to contribute to this conversation with anything useful.” Kara gets back up and goes to her kitchen and pours herself a generous amount of water.

“I am sorry, Kara, but you know I’m right.” 

“Six months, Clark.” At that, Clark flew out of her apartment in a gust of wind.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her peace is short lived when she hears a knock on her door. She squints her eyes to see through the door and sees a less than happy Alex on the other side. She sighs and gets up and goes to open the door. 

Before Alex can even speak Kara interrupts her. “I know you’re angry with me and will justify said anger on my “recklessness,” Kara uses air quotes and moves towards the kitchen, “but I’m tired and Clark just left so if you wouldn’t mind, please just skip to the part where you thank me for saving your life that would be great.” 

“I...thank you for saving my life, but Clark was here?” At least Alex knows when to pick her battles. 

Kara nods and takes out a pile of menus from various take out restaurants. She motions for Alex to pick one before ordering food from there while Alex pours herself some wine. After they get settled with a more than generous serving of Potstickers and noodles, Kara takes a deep breath and begins her explanation.

“He was here, not too long ago, telling me about how I just ruined my chances at a perfect life. He was here, not to tell me he was proud, but that I should have thought this through as if I’m some child.” Kara looks down at her potstickers solemnly.

“If that’s it why do you look so sad.” Alex smiles softly at her when she looks back up. 

“Because despite being a jerk I still love him.” The redhead shoots her a look of sympathy before she picks her phone up. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Calling work to tell them I have a family emergency and that I can’t go back to work tomorrow.” 

“You almost died and they expected you at work tomorrow?!” Alex looks at her phone with an unreadable expression before she covers it up and looks at Kara amused. 

“I am a doctor, Kara.” Is all she says in response.

After a brief moment, Alex speaks again. “How long have you been planning on coming out as a Super exactly?” 

Kara looks away from the movie playing to look at a curious Alex. She fidgets with her fingers before answering.

“I don’t know when exactly I decided to become a ‘Super’ as you call it, but I feel like it solidified when that FBI agent came as my mom to tell me to be more human.” Kara looks away, still angry at that situation.

“I felt that once they felt manipulating me was the answer, I needed to make sure that my old self never diminished. I didn’t want Kara-El to fade away because then, the only thing that would be left of Krypton was the super legacy, which would be a disgrace. I may still love Clark, but he disrespects everything that Krypto stands for, so I decided to take up the mantle as well. Obviously, it isn’t the only reason, helping people is something I’ve always wanted to do, even on Krypton.” Silence fills the room, only sound playing is the end credits of the movie playing in the background.

“I get why, but I don’t get why you couldn’t tell me.”

“You would have told me not to.” Kara lamented.

“Yes, I would have. It’s dangerous, Kara. But I do understand why you’re doing it, I do, and I am proud of you.” Alex scoots closer to her and gives her what she hopes is a reassuring hug.

“By the way, who made that suit, it’s amazing.” At that Kara tenses, forgetting for a second about her other secrets. She looks at Alex again and shrugs nonchalantly before looking back at the tv, avoiding eye contact. 

“No one, I did.” She internally sighs, knowing how short it sounded. She really needs to get better at lying.

“Yeah sure okay, I’ll believe that when I see you sit still for more than an hour.” She dislodges herself from Kara and turns fully towards her.

“Since when do we keep secrets from each other Kar? Seriously what’s going on, does anyone else know about your identity? You know how dangerous that is, Kara!”

“I’ll tell you my secret when you tell me yours.” Is all Kara says before getting up to throw away the take out containers they shared. 

Alex tenses at the accusation and turns to look at Kara.

“What do you mean, Kara? I’m not keeping any secret, at least, not one worth sharing.” Kara almost believes her. Almost.

“I thought we were done underestimating my intelligence, Alex.” She sighs and turns back to sit at the far end of the couch with Alex across from her. 

“Kar…” She trails off, not sure how to salvage this. 

“I don’t know exactly what you do Alex, but I know that you aren’t a bio-engineer for some unnamed hospital and or research facility. You always reek of gunpowder and sweat when I go to your place. Whatever it is you do, you don’t have to share it with me. Just like whatever it is I do, I don’t have to share with you.” With that, the conversation ends. Both sisters on edge from the night, but too tired to fight about it now.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Kara walks into Catco the next day, she isn’t surprised at the chaos. She felt that if she was going to be keeping secret identities, then she should change a couple of things about her demeanor as her human self. No one would ever suspect the gentle, super-nice, ball of sunshine assistant to Cat Grant. 

As she walks, she sees Winn, a friend she made when she first started here 5 years ago. 

“Did you see the news last night?! A new Super can you believe it? More and more aliens are being spotted, Kara! They’re real!” 

“Pfft, Winn there are no such things as aliens.” She shakes her head lightly and keeps on walking, Cat’s latte in one hand and her breakfast in the other. 

“They so do! I mean just look at this article about a guy who saw one with horns dude! Horns!” 

“Costumes exist.”

“What about this website about alien sightings and theories? There are some solid ones. Like the Supers can’t be the only ones!” 

“Winn, it’s your own website. What did Miss Grant say about biased journalism.” She sits down on her desk and looks at Winn amusedly. She really does love her secret identity sometimes. 

“That it’s garbage meant for the Daily Planet and the Daily Planet alone. BUT I’m not a reporter, I’m just the IT guy. She doesn’t even know my name.” She nods along, before shooting a look at the elevator.

“Miss Grants coming.” Is all the warning she gives before moving to the elevator doors, latte in hand. Thankful she heated it with her vision on the elevator ride up. 

The elevator dings and Cat walks out, phone in hand and she gestures to Kara to follow and give her the latte. Dozens of people are flanking for her attention and follow her to her office. 

“I want to know every single thing about this new Super and I want it now. Search the streets with a fine-tooth comb if you have to. Find every video there is of her and get me the clearest one. I want nothing half-assed people! Do you hear me?”

Cat finally settles behind her desk and glares at everyone. 

“Well, what are you just standing there for? Get me that story!” At that everyone scrambles away. 

She moves to walk away like everyone else when Cat calls for her.

“Not you, Kiera. I want to talk to you.” She’s sent sympathetic glances from everyone else, as she stands still facing Cat, her fingers fidgeting with her pen.

“Where were you last night, Kiera?” Miss Grant gets up from her desk and goes to pour herself a drink no doubt more expensive than Kara’s entire outfit.

“I...I...I was home, Miss Grant.” She pushes her glasses up and shifts her feet around. “I was waiting for news from my sister. She was on the plane. I’m...I’m sorry if you needed me and I wasn’t there...I mean I know you don’t _ need  _ me, but I mean as your assistant and all…” She shuts herself up when she realizes that Miss Grant is just looking at her intently. 

“I’m sorry to hear about your sister, Kiera. I’ll let it slide for now, but don’t make it a habit.” She points a finger at Kara and nods to herself before going back around to her desk chair. 

“Run along then, I have a story to write.” With that Kara quickly turns around and goes towards her desk. She sees Winn gesture to her whether or not she’s fired so she shakes her head amusedly, and sits down. She takes a deep breath; she can face Clark alone head-on, but Miss Grant is far scarier. 

Winn comes up to her and looks at her astonished.    
  


“One, how do you always know she is on her way up and two, how the heck are you not fired?!” 

“Got her schedule memorized, and I think I’m really starting to grow on her!” Winn stills looks at her in wonder before going back to his theories and rambling on. She lets him go on and on when she hears a faint distress call not too far from the building. A mugging to be more exact. 

“Look, Winn, I’ll be back, I’m going to go to the bathroom real quick, be back in a jiffy.” Winn simply nods and goes back to his desk.

Kara quickly walks to the bathroom, makes sure she’s alone and quickly spins around and changes from her usual button-up and khakis to the super-suit she left underneath and jumps out from the small window in the far corner. How convenient. 

In the span of ten minutes, she stops two muggings and three assaults. She quickly flies back and fails to check whether or not the bathroom was empty from the lasting excitement of the break.

“Well, well. If it isn’t National City’s newest hero. Can I ask what you are doing in my building, better yet, in my bathroom?” 

Kara freezes and turns around slowly, thankful she has her image inducer on. She managed to install it in her suit the night before. 

“Ummm…”

"Well?" 

"Um...no comment."


	4. Chapter 3: Cat Grant Smells Something, and it Smells FISHY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara continues to surprise everyone around her. First Cat, when Cat discovers the hidden degrees in her assistants name, who neglected to put them on her resume. Second, the DEO when they try to shoot her down out of the sky. Key word being try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! Hope it's to your satisfaction, if not, tell me what it is you would like to see on the next chapter or overall, and I will listen.

"Ummmm..." Kara stays frozen, her feet haven't even touched the ground. She turns towards Cat, who is looking at her amused. 

“Well? I don’t exactly have all day.” 

“It was the closest bathroom with an open window. I really needed to go I’m sorry for sort of breaking in…” 

  
“Hmm, well, I’m only here looking for my assistant Kiera, you wouldn’t happen to have seen her have you?”

Kara simply shakes her head softly, hesitant to even look at her bag of clothes in the corner. 

“Hm, well, I could’ve sworn to have seen her come in here. Anyway, if you see her tell her to come to my office immediately.” She leaves no room for discussion after that. 

Again, Kara simply nods and watches as Cat sharply turns and walks out of the bathroom. The blonde let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Glad her image inducer is still on, she quickly checks to make sure the woman is in her office before quickly putting her clothes back on and making her way towards her desk.

She sees Winn wave at her from his own desk, somehow sensing her nervous energy. She smiles and waves back before sitting down. She doesn’t wait for long before Cat is calling her into her office.

“Kiera come in here!” Short and to the point as always. She gets up quickly and smooths down wrinkles on her white button, makes sure she doesn’t have a ketchup stain on it again and quickly moves inside.

“You wanted to see me, Miss Grant?” 

“Yes, sit.” She gestures towards the chairs in front of her without even glancing up from the papers in front of her.

“I just need to ask you a few questions is all. How long do you plan to work for me, Kiera?” The blonde looked confused at the question, not having expected that. 

“Uhh... I don’t know what you mean Miss Grant.”

“Exactly what I said, Kiera. You have Ph.D.’s in 5 different areas of expertise and you’re working as an assistant. Why?” Oh, that. 

“I wanted to work for you first before working anywhere else.” Kara starts to nervously twist her fingers around. She’s hesitant to reveal all of her plans to the Cat Grant of all people.

“Elaborate.” Kara swallows hard at the sharpness in Cat’s eyes.

“I admire your work Miss Grant is all. A woman in such a high position in a male-dominated industry, it’s inspirational. I, uh, I kind of wanted to just shadow you and watch how you handled businesses and pressure and, uh, all of that.” She pushes her glasses up nervously. 

Cat’s sharp eyes soften at this. 

“Why haven’t you applied to work as an assistant for people in the field you wish to go in?”

“Like I said, I admire you, Miss Grant. The field doesn’t matter to me at the moment. You are one of the most powerful women in National City, if not all of America, and I wanted to work for you at first. You can almost say I want to be like you, a boss everyone admires and respects. Some day, in the distant future, I want to lead my own company in a similar manner.” 

Cat looks at her intensely. The older woman hadn’t expected such high praise. She clears her throat, shuffles her papers around and looks at her watch.

“I see. Well, you wouldn’t be benefiting yourself by working only for me, so I suggest that you start to really think about your time here.” Kara nods quickly in understanding. “No need to think about that right now, however,” Kara tilts her head in confusion.

“A woman by the name of Lena Luthor is in need of a temporary assistant, hers being on maternity leave. I owe her a favor so I recommended you. That is if you want it? She is of course in the field you wish to enter and it will only benefit you to shadow her as well.” 

“What about you Miss Grant? I mean, I’ll take the job, it’s a great opportunity as you said. Would you like me to look for a replacement soon, or do you already have someone in mind?”

“Yes, start right away, lord knows good assistants are hard to come by these days. Now go on, you still have work to do, so get out of my office.” She shoos Kara away and goes back to the stack of papers on her desk. 

As Kara gets close to the door, she turns and speaks up, “Miss Grant?”

“Yes, Kiera?”

“Thank you.” With that, she turns and walks to her towards her desk, missing Cat Grant smiling softly down at her papers

* * *

  
Alex has been justifying her case for an hour in her head. She paces as she looks down at the tablet in her hand displaying a kryptonite missile specifically designed to take down Kryptonians. Enough to knock them out, but not kill them, thankfully.

She is just following orders, she argued back and forth with the Director that this was a bad idea, that shooting down Supergirl won’t convince her to work for the DEO or the government at all. No one listened of course, Henshaw stating that the orders came from above and that they had no choice. 

She checks and double-checks to make sure it’s not a deadly amount before she gets ready to go out to the desert. She takes deep breaths and masks her emotions from everyone else, still having a reputation to uphold. She climbs up inside the armored vehicle and goes on to double-check again. 

She knows she will be mad. That Kara might just not forgive her for this. Hell, she doesn’t forgive herself. It’s wrong and she wishes there was another way. She knows though, that logically Kara will get hurt, and she is going to be the reason that happens. 

They finally stop and get out of the vehicle to see a large missile launcher with a sickly green tip. She sees mechanics double checking the heat-seeking aspects, everyone on edge. She takes a deeper breath and walks towards Hank. 

“It will be okay Agent Danvers. She will understand.” She looks at him anxiously. She frowns at him, obviously still not understanding just how wrong everything they’re doing is.

“No, she won’t, we’re shooting her with no cause and no warning. It’s wrong.” Hank nods solemnly in agreement. He knows of course that Supergirl doesn’t deserve this, but he also knows that orders are orders.

“Let’s get set up.” Alex nods sharply and walks towards the missile, calibrating it and getting it ready. Everyone is readily looking up at the sky. 

The skies are empty, clouds moving at what looks like a snail's pace, and blue bright skies just shining their way. That is until the radar picks her up, and everyone scrambles to their positions and towards the safe zone. A safe zone, simply consist of a bulletproof window and a makeshift shelter to protect them from debris.

“Start aiming!” Henshaw shouts as Alex taps the tablet a couple of times before a green ready sign flashes. She sends a thumbs up towards Hank, and he nods.

“Firing in 3...2...1 FIRE!” The missile launches and flies high up towards Supergirl. Everyone watches with bated breath as it gets closer and closer, only to be dodged by Supergirl.

They watched stunned as Supergirl flies higher and higher until they can’t see her past the clouds. Alex looks down at the tablet to see it suddenly flash read, a disconnected sign flashing, before everyone gasps loudly at the sky. She whipped her head up to see Supergirl holding the missile and launching it in their direction. Everyone yells to duck and cover and Alex quickly covers herself behind the armored vehicle she arrived in.

She looks up one last time before ducking as the missile hits the ground, a loud boom and some minutes later, everyone steps away from their hiding places. As the smoke starts to settle they see a caped figure coming towards them holding something. Supergirl appears before them, flushed and angry, breathing heavily and crushing whatever it was that was in her hand. 

Alex is the first to step out and stand in Supergirls line of sight. She has never seen Kara so mad, so hurt and so calm all at the same time. She flinches when Supergirl tosses what used to be the missile mainframe to her feet. Supergirl glares at her and sharply looks towards Hank Henshaw who had just come out of whatever hiding he was in. 

She stalks menacingly towards Hank until she’s just a foot away from him. She breathes heavily and glares at him for a minute, silence falling all around her. Finally, she speaks, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“You try to shoot me out of the sky again without cause, and next time, I won’t miss. Do I make myself clear?” He glares back at the threat.

“Is that a threat Supergirl?” Alex looks back and forth between them, not knowing what to do for the first time in a long time.

“No, It’s a promise.”

"You understand that you are being considered an active threat, vigilantism is a crime. Especially without given permission." 

"I don't care. You shoot at me like that again, and I. Won't. Miss."

With that, she glances at Alex again, her face pained and hurt before she bends her knees slightly and shoots out towards the sky.

Everyone is left flabbergasted at being bested and then threatened by Supergirl, not having expected such sharpness. 

“I told you it wasn’t a good idea.” With that, Alex goes and climbs up inside towards the vehicle she came in and sighs. She knew the minute Kara saw her with the tablet, that Kara was never going to forgive her for this.

* * *

  
Kara practically crashes on Themyscira, everyone jumping when she lands and aiming their swords at her before realizing who it is. They quickly go towards her to greet her warmly only to stop when they realize she’s crying on the ground. One of them quickly turn back around to go looking for Princess Diana. She starts to run when she hears a sob behind her. Her heart breaks at the sound and hurries. 

Everyone else is simply taking turns trying to console the distressed Kryptonian. One of them squats and puts a hand to her shoulder only to end up with an armful of Kryptonian. She awkwardly patted her on the back softly, murmuring that everything is going to be alright. Everyone else just hovers around protectively until they see Princess Diana running towards them in the distance. Everyone collectively let out a breath of relief at the sight, parting a way for her. The woman holding the Kryptonian softly gets up and hands her off to Diana. 

Diana swiftly picks her up off of the ground and carries her to a nearby tree for shade. There she gently sits and cradles her, Kara crying into her neck while she soothingly rubs her hand up and down her back. She waits patiently until she’s calmed down before she asks Kara what has happened.

“She...she works for them.” Kara takes a deep breath and gets up from Diana’s lap, flushing as she lays down and puts her head on her lap instead.  
  


“Who works for them, darling?” Diana starts to run her fingers through her hair gently. Kara closes her eyes at the sensation and opens them up again to look at her. 

“Do you remember the government agency I found out about a couple of months ago? The one that specialized in alien affairs?”

“Yes I remember, they’re the ones that have your ship right?” Kara nods softly and looks out into the ocean. The tree they’re under is on a cliff overlooking the vast ocean.

“Alex works for them.” Diana furrows her eyebrows and looks down at Kara. 

“I thought you knew that though?” The blonde sighs and closes her eyes again.

“Yes, but I thought she was more the researcher who inspected whatever they found, not the field agent who shoots missiles at Supergirl.” Diana pauses, shocked at the revelation. Her gaze turns cold as she looks out into the ocean the same way Kara did. 

“Did she hurt you?” She quickly sits up and checks for any signs of blood before a hand shoots up towards her shoulder and eases her back down.

“I successfully evaded the missile, had to take out the mainframe though, but I threw it back at them. I mean, not at them directly but a couple 100 feet away at least so no one got hurt. I still had the mainframe in my hands when I spotted Alex coming out from behind this big car. When I saw her I just...froze. She had a tablet in her hands, and a guilty look to her, so I threw the mainframe at her feet.” Diana continues to run her fingers through her hair, suspecting there's more to it.

“I just, uh, I just never expected to have been shot at without cause. I mean,” Kara gets up unexpectedly and starts to pace in front of Diana. 

“, I don’t see them aiming a kryptonite missile at Superman? What gives right! I hadn’t done anything to warrant that kind of hostility, I’ve only been doing good things. Saving people from fires, car crashes, muggings, assaults! What else do they want me to do?! I didn’t deserve to be shot at with such a lethal substance!” 

“Maybe they wanted to get your attention? Perhaps they just wanted to set away for communication? Or maybe they tried to shoot you because they simply don’t know whether you are a threat or an ally? I don’t know why either little one, but perhaps you could listen to your sister when she comes to explain herself?” The blonde looks at her in confusion, not understanding how shooting someone could be a positive thing. 

“How do you know she’ll come to me?” Kara has stopped pacing now, simply standing there with her arms crossed.

“Because all of the stories you have told me about Alex don’t paint the image of a sister who would betray family like that.”

* * *

  
It was a couple of hours more before Kara made her way back to National City. She was sufficiently comforted and fed as well as sore from all the sparring she was roped into. She’s missed being able to come back to Themyscira every other weekend like she did when she was in Oxford. 

Back when she was just studying over there, she was always able to stay with Diana in one way or another. They were just cities apart, and trains existed, so Diana had always been there for her. Now that they don’t see each other regularly, she misses her very much. Perhaps she’ll keep a day empty just for days like today. 

When she makes it within city limits, she makes a beeline for Noonans. Despite having been fed an amazonian meal, she will never say no to sticky buns. She doesn’t bother to change out of the super costume, so she receives a variety of shocked looks. Some take out phones to take pictures, and others just simply stare dumbfounded. 

There’s a line so she waits patiently. Funnily enough, the people in front of her don’t realize who she is until they receive their orders and turn around and Kara laughs at their shocked expressions. 

Maybe it was the nice positive atmosphere or maybe it was the smell of the sticky buns on the display case, but one minute she’s about to order and the next she’s on the ground gasping for air. 

She turns around much too late, realizing that the DEO was waiting for her to return and all the media coverage of her getting food notified them. People all around her are trying to protest them taking her away but before she knows it she’s handcuffed and transported into an armored vehicle.   
  


She takes a deep breath and looks around her. Four soldiers in the car so far, one of them holding a small green rock she knows far too well. She glares at the Agent especially hard, but the woman barely flinches. Kara takes a deep breath before remembering her training. 

  
Asses then attack. She realizes that while the kryptonite hurts and has successfully made her powerless she isn’t particularly useless right now. She essentially simply feels human. She grins at this. 

The Agent holding the kryptonite finally speaks up, confused at seeing the Super grin suddenly. 

“Why are you grinning Supergirl?” The blonde looks back at her, still grinning 

“What’s your name Agent?” 

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” 

“It really isn’t, but it’s a form of respect. You know me but I don’t know you.” Still grinning Kara tilts her head, coy as ever. 

“Agent Vasquez, now would you please inform us as to what is so funny?” Getting frustrated at having her questions evaded. 

“Because, Agent Vasquez of the DEO, your employers seem to constantly underestimate my abilities. Do you really think I’m simply all brawn and no brain?” The Agent isn’t given a single moment to respond before she’s riling back from getting hit in the nose by the Super. 

Kara elbows the Agents next to her, both on either side of her. They’re quick but she’s quicker, having trained with the Amazonian woman for most of her time on earth, she’s used to fighting people at almost equal strength. Kara still being stronger. 

The car swerved as Kara kept hitting the Agents around her. The Agent attempts to thrust the green rock at her to make her sick, but Kara simply kicks her hand away from her and the rock is left on the floor. 

One knocked out and one just about to be, she starts to thrash all over the place, making restraining her all the more difficult. Finally the car skirts to a stop right in front of a large building much too official to be anything but the government. It’s too late though because after a while all the agents in the back are out, and the agent in the front who was driving is kicked in the back of the head and his face hits the steering wheel hard enough to break a nose. 

Kara quickly works around the bodies and opens the door, she’s faced with two agents with guns trained to her. She rolls her eyes and raises her hands up in defeat. So close, she thinks to herself annoyed. 

They each have kryptonite in their hands, and Kara again rolls her eyes at forgetting to prepare for the rock. She’s going to have to start developing some antidote or shield or something. 

Half an hour later she’s still sitting in a small room. She thinks interrogation room considering the two-way glass on the wall. She grins a bit and waves at the window. She may be powerless but she still has her humor to her. 

  
Bored out of her mind, she looks at the handcuffs on her wrist. She tilts her head in contemplation before simply dislocating her thumbs and taking them off. She relocated them before getting up and stretching a bit. Her hands above her head she looks around the room assessing just how many countermeasures are in place.

  
She spots two separate cámaras, both aimed right at her. She continues to look around the room before the door is suddenly thrust open. In comes, Hank Henshaw. She scowled at him the minute he walks in. He seems surprised to see her out of handcuffs, he turns right around. In comes two agents to handcuff her again. She holds her hands out and tilts her head at them. They seem to be under the impression that they’ve finally gotten her. 

Hank comes back in, his brows furrowed and jaw clenching. Again. Does this dude only have one facial expression?

“Shooting without cause and now kidnapping, I’m starting to think you have it out for me Henshaw.” She’s still grinning. Honestly, she’s just too easily amused at the situation. 

“You’re a criminal Supergirl, I told you that vigilantism is illegal but you’ve continued to-“

“How come I don’t see you shooting at Superman then?” She quirked a brow at him, still grinning but getting progressively more annoyed. 

“He’s an independent contractor for us. He will occasionally work alongside us when asked. He’s been given permission and there are countermeasures for if he ever goes rogue.”

“Does the permission also apply to the Justice League?” 

He nods confused at the sudden question. 

“If I’m correct, they also have the kind of authority to give that same kind of permission?” 

He nods again, suddenly understanding where she’s going with this. 

“If someone on the Justice League were to vouch for me, will you lay off?” Henshaw scoffs at this. 

“Superman can’t vouch for you if that’s what you’re saying. That would be a conflict of interest and wouldn’t fall through.”

“I never said Superman would be the one to vouch for me.” 

Kara gestures towards the cuffs on her hands. “Could you please take these off first? I need to grab something out of my boot.” She’s cheekily smiling at him now. 

“You got of them once, I’m sure you can get out of them again.” 

Kara shrugs and dislocates her thumbs again. She winces only slightly before slipping the cuffs back off and relocating them again. 

“Yes I know, but it truly is a pain to do it more than once, you know?” 

The blonde lifts her boot off of the floor and onto the table. Very much intending to make the man uncomfortable and succeeds. She slips out a small piece of official-looking paper and passed it off to him. 

“There's my permission slip. Am I free to go now?” 

He snatches the paper and unfolds it. This time, his surprise is unbidden and prominent in his features. 

“How’d you manage to find Wonder Woman?” Kara simply shrugs and continues to grin.   
  


“She found me. Us girls gotta stick together.” Kara gets up abruptly and heads for the door. 

“I didn’t say you were free to go.” 

She doesn’t listen and walks out. She feels like she can suddenly breathe again. The kryptonite finally away from her. Everyone looks at her the minute she’s out of the door. She jokingly salutes each one that meets her eyes. Except for Alex, who was getting out of the door right next to hers. She must’ve been behind the glass this entire time. She glares at her, shoulders tense and feet rooted to the floor. She marches away though, doesn’t give her a second thought before she finds the balcony and shoots off. 

* * *

  
When she finally opens the door to her apartment, she speeds to her room and changes into something much more comfortable. 

It’s been one of the longest days of her life on Earth. Turn after turn. The plot thickens, she thinks to herself. Scoffing she turns the TV on to find the news of Supergirls abduction. She grins at their utter misfortune. No doubt about to get a serious reprimand. 

She speeds on her Super Suit back on and makes her way towards Catco. 

She lands on the balcony and waits. She knows Cat heard her, her heartbeat quickening giving her away. She hears her curse softly to herself before shuffling towards the balcony. 

“Well if it isn’t National Cities darling. Are you here to finally give me an exclusive? Here to tell the world where you were taken earlier this afternoon?” 

Kara turns around to look at her and smiles softly. 

“Yes. Ready when you are Miss Grant.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may be a lot at once, and I may not be very good at writing action scenes, but that just means there is room for improvement and my fic will just get better over time. Anyway, Lena will finally show up. Don't worry though, it won't be as fast paced as this chapter kind of was. If anything, I will be stretching that out for a while. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, and comments are always appreciated. 
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone.


	5. Chapter 4: The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat finally gets her interview. She may also not be as composed when certain heroes are brought up.

Cat quirks her brow at her and gestures towards the couches on the balcony.

“Mind if we take this outside?”

“Not at all, lead the way.”

Cat goes to her desk first and gathers up a folder. She clears her throat and santers past Kara towards the door outside. She sits at the far end and gestures towards the other end for Kara to sit.

“Well firstly, the people of National City have been wondering about your relationship with Superman. You both share similar abilities, so let's start with a particularly easy question. Are you from Krypton?”

“Yes, I am.” 

“Are you Superman's lover?” Kara immediately flinches at this.

“Oh no! He’s my cousin.” 

“How come we’re only now just hearing about you?”

Kara looks down hesitantly before looking back at Cat. After seeing the reassuring look, she takes a deep breath and continues.

“I was in my early teens when Krypton exploded. Superman had just been shipped away in his own pod by his parents when I was just about done saying goodbye to my own. I was just about to get in when I ran back towards them and gave them one last hug goodbye. That small moment, that precious second is why I was so late. By the time I was shipped off and in space, the planet exploded and the shock waves pushed me out of trajectory. It sent me into this place called the Phantom Zone, where time doesn’t pass.”

“How is that possible?” Cat interrupts abruptly, her mouth agape in surprise, and she is never so easily surprised.

“There are a lot of things that are possible that are simply just theories on earth.” She smiles slightly and continues on.

“By the time I finally arrived here on Earth, Superman had already come out and was a prominent figure in society. The task my family assigned me was futile now, he was all grown up and he didn’t need my guidance anymore. So I integrated into society and blended in. Eventually, I got tired of watching injustices happen so I made a plan to one day follow in his footsteps.”

“Wow, so what you’re saying is that you are much older than Superman.”

  
“By many _many _years.”

“I noticed you fail to mention your age at all, why is that?”

Kara laughs at the question, she nods and wiggles her fingers at Cat awkwardly.

“Oh, I just _knew_ you’d catch that. It’s not out of disrespect towards you, I just prefer for that information to not be so openly known, never know who will read this and attempt to figure out my secret identity.”

“That’s understandable. Okay, now that we have all those pleasantries out of the way, let’s get to the real question the world is asking at the moment. What happened earlier today while you were seemingly on your lunch break?”

“A misunderstanding amongst coexisting protectors of society.” She says with a straight face before giggling into her hand. 

“Off the record, however, It wasn’t much of a misunderstanding and more of a distrust of a new potential threat. While Superman is regarded with respect, he wasn’t always, and the government just thought they’d establish their dominance before I got any ideas. No hard feelings at all, though I do hope that isn’t their policy on all things, otherwise I might get ideas.” She smirks at the last bit. Cat looks almost mildly impressed.

“How did you manage to get out of their grasp then? I’m sure they wouldn’t have gotten through so much trouble just to release you so suddenly.” Kara’s smirk deepens.

“I happen to be close friends with a member of the Justice League, and no before you think it’s Superman, it’s not.”

“And who might that be then?” 

“Wonder Woman.” Cat puts her pen down and ends the recording device. She takes a deep breath before some of her cool exterior breaks a little.

“You know Wonder Woman? What is she like? How’d you meet? Where has she been?” Question after question, Kara smiles at Cat. Who knew she was such a fan?

“Miss Grant if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re a fan?” 

“Then don’t know better, if anyone asks I’d deny it to my grave, but ever since I was a little girl, Wonder Woman has been a sort of role model for me. Call it what you want, but I’ve always wanted to know where she’s been this entire time and what exactly she’s been up to.”

“While I can’t disclose such things like secret identities and such, all I can tell you is she found me while I was having a sort of temper tantrum in my teens here and asked me to come train with her. She’s been back on her home island. Before you ask, no I don’t know why she hasn’t been back or if she’s ever going to come to the mainland.” 

Cat, only mildly satisfied nods and picks her pen back up. Before she can press the resume on her recorder however, Kara stops her.

“While that thing is still off, there is one thing I must say as long as it stays off the record?” The older woman nods quickly, always one to want the most up to date news even if she doesn’t share it.

  
“Now that I know Miss all-powerful Grant, is a fan of Wonder Woman, I’d like to ask for a favor in exchange for let’s say...an interview with Wonder Woman herself?” Cat’s eyes widen incredibly before she regains her composure and clears her throat.

“Done.”

  
“I need you to understand that I’m an independent Superhero. I’m no one’s lap dog. So I essentially don’t have higher-ups. Therefore, there will be people coming to you to take down or not even release this interview. It will present problems. While they don’t have any power over me, they will try to control anyone's narrative of me. You know, government things.” She rolls her eyes, and takes Cat’s notepad and pen from her and writes down a number.

“This is a secured line, you call me on this line if your files are let's say, mysteriously gone, or if you’re being harassed by government officials about red tape. Hell, even if Superman himself shows up and demands you take it down. You call me, I will take care of it. Though, the red tape issue will be a small issue as I don’t name who in the government. Secrets and all that.” 

Cat glances at the piece of paper with the number. She feels oddly touched Supergirl is willing to go to such lengths to separate herself from Superman.

“While I’m very grateful for the direct line to you, why do you think your own cousin would come to me to take down this interview?” 

“Off the record, because he’s a controlling ass who refuses to see me as anything but a subordinate little cousin. On the record? Because he works for the government himself.” She shrugs carelessly. 

“You’re just full of surprises today aren’t you?” 

“I sure hope so, I’d hate to be predictable. Do you have any more questions?”

“Just how smart are you? It seems to me you think of everything. From the direct line to knowing Wonder Woman, how far ahead did you think?”

“I’ve been preparing for this for years, from my suit to my training. Every single detail has been thought of, I meant to have this interview earlier today, but the only unexpected thing to happen today was the kidnapping.”

“It happened in such a public place, why would they risk something like that in broad daylight?”

“Like I said earlier, to establish dominance and control. They wanted to humanize me in a way that establishes that even a Super can be taken down and that they have the resources to do so. Not that they would of course, as long as we stay on our own little lanes, and don’t get political, we can be whatever we want.” Kara gets up from the couch and walks over to the edge of the balcony and looks down at the buildings. The wind sweeps at her hair and her cape, her back straight and her shoulders set. Kara couldn’t be more serious if she tried.

“My main goal is to save as many lives as possible. That includes saving humans from themselves. That includes speaking out on movements such as, basic human and alien rights, as well as supporting marginalized communities. I will pick sides, and I will speak out on it. I won’t stay quiet, I will make myself as visible as possible, and that is going to make so many people uncomfortable. I want them to be.”

“Don’t you think being so open and loud about your views with dwindle your public image from National City’s new darling to a controversial woman talking too much. It’s happened sadly, but it is possible.” Kara turns for a second and looks at Cat, her brow raised. Turning back she continues on, feeling more like she’s doing an entire monologue for some play then answering a question from Miss Grant.

“I don’t care much for my public image. If people stop supporting me, say, for example, a small mistake where I can fix what I messed up, then they had their expectations too high. I may not be human but just because I can lift entire buildings over my head, does not mean I can’t make mistakes. I can miscalculate timing and risk someone's life. I would have to make split-second decisions and no one can fault me for the choices I make. I wear this suit not because I want everyone's love and attention, but because I want to save lives and that's it.” Kara carefully lifts a couple feet off the ground and finally turns around to look at Cat. 

“While this was truly a nice interview, I should be going, I hear sirens in the distance and it sounds like a fire. I’ll see you around Miss Grant.” Playfully saluting her, she shoots off.

The wind from her shooting off blowing a couple papers all over the place Cat tsks at the mess and picks them up.

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll see you around again Supergirl.” She glances at the sky, clears her throat and turns sharply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated this fic, though my poor mind has been starting a whole other fic because I binged Greys Anatomy while Chyler was still there so. 
> 
> Thank you for giving this fic your time and energy, hope you have a good day. 
> 
> Also, any ideas with how you'd like this fic to go would be greatly appreciated, love pleasing the peoples. :)


	6. Chapter 5: The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the Interview and the reaction of those around Kara.

Although Kara always planned for everything, never in her wildest dreams could she have anticipated the reaction that she received from her interview. While there was still some apprehension from the public, the majority of people had been incredibly supportive of her decision to separate herself from the government.

Despite being relatively new to the city and despite having yet to make a proper name for herself, she feels oddly loved considering that the city hardly even knows her. 

She's happy, elated even. No matter how smart and fast her brain worked, public support wasn't high on her list of things that would turn out positive. 

Despite the public's unexpected reaction, however, the incessant chiming of her phone has come as no surprise to her. Ever since the article went public, Alex has been trying to call her almost no stop, not to mention the messages from Clark that keep popping up as well, no doubt telling her that she shouldn't be doing what she's doing.

While she has no desire to speak to either of them at the moment, she does at least check to make sure there are no emergencies that she needs to attend to. Other than that, she continues watching her movie.

She sighs at their predictability. Of course, they're so caught up and worried about the negative effects coming out as super can have that they fail to see the positive. Imagine how many more people she could help if the government wasn't so sketchy. 

She scoffs to herself and gets up from the comfort of her couch. She rounds the corners of her small apartment towards her bedroom, her feet taking her to her closet unconsciously, having done this so many times. 

She stands straight, her hand hovering before she places it on an unseen panel. A small light scans her hand going up and down several times before it turns green and a click is heard in an otherwise silent bedroom. 

Instantly she's hit with the bright LED lights shining above her that show her the suits and supplies she's kept over the years. All of them have been made with expert hands as well as advanced technology that she had made herself while she was still on Themyscira. The first iteration of her suit that she had decided against using sits in the back discarded. She looks it over, at the bright red skirt coupled with the iconic red cape and she scoffed again at the stupidity of herself when she made it. Her thinking process was that she had to dress in a way that would appeal most to the common citizen. The red skirt is similar to that of a cheerleader, and everybody loves cheerleaders. 

Maybe she'll wear it as a gag during Halloween as it seems more approachable. Besides, she would be lying if she said she didn't look damn good in it. 

She looks away from the skirt and turns to the far left corner. Embedded on the wall is another scanner, which she quickly uses and watches as the wall retracts itself back an inch and slides up quickly with a small woosh. Hidden in the compartment, there's a simple but bulky satellite phone, which she had already encrypted to keep her calls safe.

Like she's said before, she's thought of everything. Well, almost everything. 

She picks it up and dials, breathing deeply as she shifted her feet anxiously. She bites her lip before she hears the click of the phone, finally connecting. 

"Hello Kara, it's been a while." Kara smiles at the voice, her shoulders already relaxing. 

"It hasn't been that long Diana, I was just there..." She looks at the clock on the wall, which states it's 2:00 am. "Yesterday now!" 

She turned around and walked towards the small balcony of her apartment and stepped out onto it. She leans her arms on the railing and smiles to herself while listening to Diana rattle on about going to sleep at a more reasonable time. 

"Now, tell me the real reason you called? As you said, you were just here a couple of hours ago."

"What makes you think there's something?"

"Clark showed up." Kara bristles at the mention of her cousin, her brows furrowing in concern. 

"What did he do?" 

"As much as you'd expect. He threw a fit at having given you the so-called 'permission slip' and going behind his back. He claimed I had no right to do as I did. Though, I don't think he suspects just how strong our relationship really is and simply thinks we're acquaintances."

"How big of a fit do you think he'll throw when he finds out you've been my mentor since I was 13?" She laughs along with Diana and leans back against the wall as she looks up at the stars. 

"Overall, how was your day today?"

Silence filled the air as Kara scrunched her face in frustration. She had started working on coming up with a method of protecting herself from kryptonite, but she was having trouble. She hadn't been able to get the right frequency and energy distribution in the shield without it exploding in her face. 

"That bad, huh?"

"I just thought maybe it'd be different now. I mean, I just started barely two days ago, and they are already criticizing everything I do. I mean, compared to when Superman started, I've been doing pretty good for myself."

"You are putting so much pressure on yourself, Kara. You've been too serious and tense. You need to relax and let this take its own time. You can't try and rush progress, or you will get nowhere."

"I know. I do. It's just easier said than done. I miss goofing around. I hate having to be so serious now."

"Well, you can always come back and goof around with us some more." Kara smiles softly and nods to herself.

"I'll be sure to visit more often. At least, visit and not immediately leave after crying all over you." 

"Call in advance so that when you land you have a full table of food ready for your stomach." The Amazon laughs while Kara's face holds a faux offended look. 

"I do _not _eat that much! You're totally exaggerating. I don't need a whole table!"

"Do you remember the first few weeks of your training here and how much energy you expelled and just how much you ate?" Kara blushes at the reminder. She had so much fun eating grown women under the table during their unofficial eating contests. She had only wanted to show off, not eat three times her weight in meat and potatoes. 

"In my defense, I was a growing kid with a human diet. I felt bad asking the Danvers for more food then." 

"Yes, yes, I remember. Wherever did that timid behavior go?" 

"Timid? Me? Please! I may have been shy, but timid? I don't think so." 

"That's fair, I suppose. Well look, I know you're mad at your sister for the things she did, but take it easy on her, okay? She was probably just following orders when she launched the missile, and as bad as it was, she must have fought tooth and nail for you." She sighed and looked at the city around her forlornly. Diana had a point, but still.

"I'll try, but I can't promise to forgive her so easily if that's not the case."

"I'm not saying to forgive her; I'm simply saying to hear her out."

"Okay." She whispers it so quietly, Diana has to strain to hear it.

"Okay. Well, I'll let you get back to whatever it is you were doing. It's been about half an hour since Clark came and threw his fit, so I'm sure he's not far from you now." Kara grimaced at the inevitable argument that was about to take place. 

"Thanks for the warning." 

"We'll talk soon, Kara. Bye."

"Bye." She whispers and hangs up. She quickly climbs, walks back into her room, and puts back the phone in its hidden compartment. She closes the closet and reopens it to see regular clothes instead of the Super suits before she closes it one last time. 

In her haste, she failed to notice Alex let herself into the apartment using her key. 

"Kara?! Are you here?" 

Kara looks at the front door through the wall and glares. She stalks towards the door and finally faces Alex. She is shaking by the time she reaches her, her anger taking over suddenly. 

"How dare you walk into my home after trying to shoot me out of the sky with no hesitation!" Alex flinches at the hostility in her tone. She's never heard that tone from Kara, let alone have it directed at her.

"I tried to stop them, Kara, but they wouldn't listen to me!"

Kara scoffed as she walked to the kitchen and scarfed down a bottle of water. She needed to calm down and face this with a rational mind, but she was still frowning and agitated when she turned back to face Alex.

"I saw you holding that tablet. I saw you!"

"I was holding a tablet that merely followed the missile. I would never launch it myself. It was out of my hands, Kara. I tried suggesting that we use more humane methods to contact you, but General Lane refused to listen. He kept calling you a menace for trying to be a hero without permission from the government!" 

"Yeah, I know all too well what kind of man General Lane is. It doesn't even begin to excuse the fact that you work for that man!"

"Kara... I made a choice a long time ago that I would do anything to protect you. This is me doing my part, okay?" 

Kara shakes her head and crosses her arms.

"Also, when did you even get in contact with Wonder Woman, damn it?! I thought we shared these types of things, Kara?"

"That's rich, coming from you. When were you going to tell me that you secretly worked for an organization capable of killing me without hesitation?" 

"Kara, what you're doing is dangerous! I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to, I'm under a strict contract!" 

"It only became unsafe when the government decided to target me for nothing! How dare you come in here and demand answers from me when you've barely been honest to me?" 

"Because everything I do is to protect you! I can't protect you if I'm left wondering what your next move is! I could have helped you!"

"All you would've done is hold me back by telling me I shouldn't do it! You don't need to protect me anymore, Alex! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"You've avoided answering my Wonder Woman question. How the hell did you even find her?"

"Like I said while I was held captive by your superiors, she found me! She's been much more supportive than you, and she's not even here!" 

"Don't go acting as if I haven't been supportive of the things you have done. I know that I was a bad sister when you left for college, I understand that, but I thought we were past that? I thought I would have proven myself to you by now?"

"We are past that, and you have, but this is an entirely different thing. It's the fact that you don't trust me enough."

  
  


Taking a deep breath, she put her hands on her head, a headache sneaking up on her. Alex looks around for a minute and takes a deep breath. 

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Kara because I do trust you, with my life. Okay listen, we're going in circles. None of this excuses the fact that you have been keeping all of this to yourself for however long you have been."

"13."

"What?" It was said so softly that she would have missed it had it not been for her super hearing. 

"I've been training since I was 13."

"You accuse me of not trusting you, but you're being real hypocritical." Kara looks down and sighs. She knows they're both in the wrong, and she should've trusted Alex more.

Alex fails to even wrap her head around how long it has been. She gapes at her in disbelief.

"You've….13? You mean the nights you snuck out working on your powers? That was...? Why?"

Kara takes a deep breath and hesitates. She had never hesitated to tell Alex anything unless it was necessary, but now? After today? 

"The only reason I was placed in that pod was to save and protect, and I failed. I failed Clark. But I won't let this planet down like I let my parents down."

Alex softened at that and walked towards her sister. Kara, seeing this, took two steps back. 

"Kara, you can't possibly blame yourself for that? You had no control over what happened, Kara." Slowly, she took more steps towards her baby sister, felt the need to wrap her arms around her, her heart aching at the sight of red-rimmed eyes and trembling lips. 

"Don't. Please leave. I don't want to see you here anymore. Just give me time please, that's all I ask." With that, she walked backward until she hit the door to her room, entering it without another word and locking it. She took another deep breath, having done so too many times tonight to try and calm her racing heart.

Alex looked at the door, forlorn and feeling terrible. She bent over, picking her bag back up and thought to herself that maybe it was too soon to be throwing accusations when she was in the wrong as well. She should have trusted Kara. 

With that, she walked to the door slowly, hesitating slightly, and walked out. She stood in the hall for 30 seconds, hoping that Kara would open the door and tell her she forgives her. She hopes Kara feels generous. She felt ashamed to think that she could simply get away with this, so she left. 

Kara is pacing in her room, having watched the turmoil Alex was going through. She hates fighting with her sister, but she can't just forgive her this time. It is a big thing, and she can't just let it go that easily. 

She knew that Alex was more than just a doctor; she always had. She just didn't think it would be for the DEO. She had done extensive research on them. She just can't believe Alex of all people would join them. 

She's tired, though. She's so tired. 

How many times must she repeat herself to them until they understand that they have no say in how she manages this new aspect of her life? How many times must she prove herself to them before they will take her seriously? She isn't a helpless child who needs guidance. She never was, but she had humored them. She let them have inputs on how to appear human and how to hide herself away. 

She's just so tired of pretending she doesn't understand Winn when he talks about computer software updates. So tired of having to repeat herself over and over and over again to them. She understands the risks. She's thought of solutions to problems that haven't even occurred yet. She's considered every kind of way to get out of situations in which she doesn't have the upper hand. She has thought of all of this, but what has Clark thought of? He is the most incompetent Superhero she has ever seen. His suit has no other use than bulletproof material to an already bulletproof man. It's all just primary colors and tights, and she just doesn't understand not having gadgets. He is all brute force and charisma, and people love him. She will have to work twice as hard before people consider her seriously. 

She is just starting, though. She knows that she'll have the opportunity to work harder and smarter, but she is still itching to do something. Something great. She wants to save the world, but she also wants the peace that comes with her secret identity. 

She had just started to calm down when she heard the landing of feet on her roof. Even though she had been expecting him, she thought he would have arrived sooner. She really hopes he hadn't listened to her conversation with Alex. 

"Kara, I know you know I'm here. Come up here now. We need to talk."

She grunts and looks up past the ceilings of the building. She glares at Clark and flips him off. 

"That's mature, Kara. Real mature. Come up here_ now_. This is serious." The tone is what gets her moving. He probably thinks that he is finally getting through to her, but she is really going up there to slap him across his smug face, and that's it. 

She is so tired of repeating herself. So tired that she is willing to use mild violence on the arrogant son of a bitch. Going up the stairs two at a time, she rolls her sleeves up and winds up her shoulders. 

Finally, she opens the door and comes face to face with him. He goes to open his mouth, no doubt about to spew some ridiculous nonsense when Kara slaps him across his face. It is so fast that the leaves on the rooftop scatter, the impact of the force comically turning his face to the side. 

He's shocked, of course. He had never expected such a violent reaction from Kara.

_ "If you use that tone with me one more time and it'll actually hurt the next time I do it. You do not get to belittle me, nor do you have the authority to do so. You may be family, but I will not hesitate to make you look like a fool. Now, go and fly back to Metropolis and stay there." _He blinks once, twice. Then a third time before he even has anything to say to her. It had taken him an extra 30 seconds to respond due to having to translate the Kryptonian. 

"Why did you slap me?" Causing Kara to scoff at his response. Was that all he could come up with?

"How often have I repeated myself to you about things pertaining to my life. How many more times must I tell you that your input is both unnecessary and unwanted? I have been on this planet for almost 13 years, and yet, during that time, you have spoken to me only a handful of times. Tell me in what context those visits have been?"

He gawks at her. Really, he should start to believe her when she says she's done with him.

"Honestly Kara, what do you expect me to do?",

"Mind your damn business for once!"

Silence. Loud, cold silence. She walked to the edge of the roof and rested her hands on the railing. She feels like her hands should sting and regrets having had to resort to violence like that. She turns to him sharply, having had her back to him. She's red in the face. She has already had to deal with Alex, and she does not want to deal with him too. 

"I have told you repeatedly what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. The only thing I left out was when. I didn't know when, but I knew it was inevitable. It was bound to happen. You expect me to what? Just stay in your suffocating shadow? No, I think I'd rather show rather than tell from now on. So leave." 

Wordlessly, almost as if some invisible tether is pulling him, he floats just a few feet away from the building, never having turned his face from her he looks at her, truly looks at her. He sighs before he asks one final question. 

"Why do you always argue with me about your safety? Do you think I _ like _talking to you like this? All that I've ever said and done has been for your own good, Kara."

She gets up on the edge of the roof. She leans forward, her brows furrowed. She points a single finger at him in disbelief at what she's hearing. 

"Do you honestly have any idea how much you've hurt me? Mentally? Do you honestly think that a young 13-year-old Kara was just on this planet to live? Selfishly? Or have you already forgotten the purpose I was supposed to fulfill? You only ever show up to berate and belittle me and my choices. First, when I told off the DEO after they tried to impersonate my mother. Thanks for that by the way, telling the government about me. Did you know Alex blamed me for years about what happened to Jeremiah? If you hadn't told them about me, he would probably still be alive." Clark winced at that. "But nope, you didn't care, because the next time you spoke to me was when I came out to the world as a Super and then now? When I call out your bosses and I publicly announce my independence? Go away, Clark."

She turns and walks to the door and starts to head downstairs when she hears a faint sound. She rolls her eyes at his dejected tone. 

"I'm_ sorry." _The poor bastard butchered even that simple sentence in Kryptonian. 

After finally having some peace to herself, she cries. Silently at first, but it gradually gets louder and harder to breathe. It was the type of crying that happens when you have been holding it in for so long in hopes that the longer you hold it off, the less you'd cry. 

She misses her parents every day, misses her mother's cooking, the tea they'd share when brainstorming a class project. She just misses the warmth she'd receive. Rao, she misses the chocolate pecan pie that Eliza always made during the holidays. She misses a lot of things she can't get back, but at least there's the pie.

She's just about to call Eliza when she realizes it's still much too early to call and settles on just going to sleep. A good night's rest will help, despite the fact she has to get up earlier than usual to get to Catco to start the recruitment process for potential temp assistants. She ignores that reality, for the time being, choosing to revel in the comfort of her bed instead, and she falls asleep seconds later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major props to @LadySerenityFY for helping edit this chapter! The time between updates is shrinking, and that's mostly due to the sudden free time I have because of Covid-19, hope everyone's being safe and staying inside!


	7. Chapter 6: Vartox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Winn have a talk, and Kara faces Vartox.

It's been a week of silence from Alex. A week of no calls, or text messages, or abrupt visits with food. Kara won't lie and say that the last one isn't her favorite, she misses that the most, but she's got an image to uphold. She feels that the distance is necessary, but that doesn't mean she likes it. She hates fighting with her sister, but she knows it's necessary. 

Much like not talking to her sister is necessary for the time being, so is finding Miss Grant her new temporary assistant. Though, something deep inside her knows this is somehow not going to be temporary because she knows Miss Grant was right. She does need to work more in her field of interest, and right now, that's not journalism, but technological advancement. 

Currently, however, she was hard at work trying to find some elaborate food concoction Miss Grant has demanded. Somehow she thinks a combo of Sushi and Pasta isn't a real thing, but she is determined to find it, determined to make at least someone satisfied with her work. 

After finding Cat's crazy lunch request, she is finally walking back into the bullpen, where she hears the telltale voice of Cat Grant, shouting for her as always.

"Kiera, KIERA!" She quickly makes her way inside. Grunting without looking up from her work, she gestures for Kara to quicken her pace.

"Yes, Miss Grant?" She asked as she placed her crazy lunch on the desk in front of her.

"Go gets those Layouts from the new Art Director, Mr. Olsen." 

"Mr. Olsen? As in James Olsen?"

"Do you know of any other people named Mr. Olsen, Kiera?"

"Right, no, I'll get those right away."

Quickly, she makes her way out Cat's office and makes her way to the office of one James Olsen. Knowing that James is close to Clark, she is slightly wary of how this interaction will go. She doesn't think that Clark would reveal her secret to anyone, but given their recent interaction, she wouldn't be surprised if Clark sent James here to spy on her.

Knocking on the door to announce her arrival, she walks in, not waiting for a reply, knowing he's there.

"I'm here for the layouts, Mr. Olsen. Miss Grant doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Well, she can wait a little bit. What is she going to do? Fire me on my first day? I highly doubt that. She was the one who asked me to be here, after all."

"Well, you obviously don't know Miss Grant. She may have asked you to work here, but she won't hesitate to fire you if you act like you are on your own schedule, instead of hers." Scoffing, he finally turns to look back and pauses. He already knows who it is, but doesn't give much away.

Getting up from unpacking a box on the floor, he dusts his pants off and turns completely to look at her, giving her his best smoldering look. She raises a single eyebrow at the look, having to hold back a scoff at his audacity, and doesn't drop her gaze away. Some men just thought they were God's gift to women, and so far, it was looking like James was no different. She wouldn't let herself fall for his false charms.

"I have the finished layouts right here." Nodding, she waits for him to pick up the layouts from his desk and looks around, pausing as she finds the famous Superman picture. Seeing where her eyes have landed, he smirks and picks up the framed photograph.

"Do you like it?" Shrugging, she gestures for him to hand her the layouts. However, he either misunderstands or doesn't care, and gives her the picture instead. 

"Oh, no, sorry. It's a fine picture. I was actually reaching for the layouts." Amused, she crosses her arms and gestures again.

"How about this, I give you both the layouts and the picture since I know it caught your eye." 

"I was just looking around. Really, you don't have to give me the picture." 

"No, it's okay. I insist, really. It's just a copy." Giving him a polite, tight-lipped smile, she takes both the layouts and the framed picture or at least tries to since he tugs them back at the last second. 

"You know, can you believe he posed for this picture?"

Sighing, she asks, "Whatever do you mean?" Smirking, he walks just a bit too close to be considered professional and smiles.

"I mean exactly what I said. It was an exciting experience, being given explicit permission to photograph such an elusive man."

Finally, getting annoyed, she takes a step back and snatches the layouts from his hand.

"Yes, I'm sure. Thank you for the layouts, I'll be sure to mention to Miss grant that you were quick about it."

Just as she's about to walk out of the door, she pauses as he calls out to her.

"I never got your name."

"And I never gave it." With that, she steps fully out of the office and goes back to her own desk after giving the layouts to Cat. 

She's irked after that interaction. She doesn't get the best vibe from him, and somehow she just knows he can't be completely trusted. Though, someone she can always trust to bring her spirits up is Winn Schott. Considering he doesn't stop singing her praises, or well, the Superhero her at least. 

"I mean seriously, just yesterday, she took down armed robbers without even blinking! She looked more annoyed at being shot than actually worried, which makes sense considering she is bulletproof! Exactly like her cousin! Isn't that insane? A female superhero in National City, I'll be damned." He's standing to her right, ranting as always about the incredible Supergirl who did this and that, this day, and did this and that the other day.

It's endearing to hear him praise her like this. It feels good having someone close to her be proud of her work instead of talking her down and telling her she's making a mistake. She's been thinking long and hard about it, but she thinks it's time to tell Winn who she really is. She knows she can trust him, she's known him for over two years now, and he's never given her a reason to doubt him.

She smiles at him and gestures for him to come closer. Confused and stopping mid-rant, he leans forward a tad and jumps when she grabs his shirt and tugs him even closer. She leans forward and whispers for him to follow her to the roof. Flustered, of course, he straightens himself up.

Kara gets up and doesn't look back, knowing he's right behind her. His quick little shuffles make her grin and quicken her own stride just to hear him grunt and whisper for her to slow the hell down. 

Finally, making it to the roof, she walks up onto the helicopter pad. There she turns around to see a red-faced Winn huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath no doubt from the two flights of stairs. There weren't even that many stairs, seeing that they worked on the top floor. 

"Give…" He signals for her to wait, and she crosses her arms amused. "Me... a minute…" 

"Oh, please, take all the time you need, this is my lunch break, not like I'm not hungry." Chuckling, she gives him the minute, and when she knows he's caught his breath, she starts.

"Right, so you're probably wondering why I've brought you to the roof." Nodding profusely, he makes to ask but gets interrupted by a single wagging finger from Kara.

"Right. I trust you, Winn, and this is something only a select group of people in my life know. Not even by choice mind you, mostly because someone else told them and they've chosen to keep it to themselves, not because I told them. I've personally never told anyone this before."

"Oh my god, you're a lesbian! This is great, Kara. That's why you're not into me."

"Yes, but so not the point." A little shocked, Winn recovers quickly and zones back into her explanation."

"I decided to tell you now because you obviously have an affinity for science and the extraterrestrial. I feel like with your expertise we would make a good team."

"I'm confused Kara, make a good team for what?"

"I'm Supergirl."

Tilting his head, he squints his eyes at her and chuckles. 

"Aha, yeah, right, and I'm Superman. You're funny. Honestly, you had me going there for a second." 

"I am Supergirl Winn. I'm being serious!"

"You don't even look the same, dude! Not that I've seen any close-up pictures of her, but the few that are out there show a completely different bone structure!" 

He looks at her, confused as she starts to laugh and walk backwards slowly. Eyes widening, he begins to walk at her pace too and reaches out slowly, as if encountering some small animal.

"...Hey, hey. Hey! Where are you going? Don't get too close to the edge, please, that's dangerous. HEY!" He's left standing in shock as his only friend in Catco, falls backward off the side of the building. He stumbles back as his hands start to shake, but before he has time to mourn his supposed dead friend, there is a sudden gust of wind, and the landing of feet behind him startle him out from his thoughts. He turns quickly and stumbles forward, seeing a chuckling Kara still alive and well with her hands on her waist. 

Puffing her chest comically as if to mock a certain another hero, she walks to him.

"I told you I was Supergirl." She steps forward some more until they're only a few feet away. "I wouldn't have had to get my hair all messed up had you believed me." 

"But...but...the bone structure, the hair is even a different shade of blonde...how could you possibly...what?"

"I'll explain all of that in due time, promise, but for both of our sakes, please don't faint and just breathe deeply for me?" Walking closer, she places a hand on his shoulder and looks at him in concern, seeing as his face is paler than usual.

"Right, right, I'm fine, sorry. Just...shocked is all. I mean...you jumped off. I thought you were dead there for a couple of seconds. It kind of sucked while it happened." Wincing, she hugs him.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize how that might've looked. I thought it would be funny, you know?" 

"Wait, wait, wait, were you serious...about the uh...the teaming up?" Nodding, Kara steps back again and shrugs.

"I mean, only if you want to. After everything that happened with me getting kidnapped and all that, I realized that I couldn't do these things solo. Plus, having someone who's actually excited about Supergirl as a partner is a major bonus." 

"I will totally team up with you, though under one condition." His poker face giving nothing away, Kara nods seriously and crosses her arms.]

"Anything." Pausing dramatically, Winn takes a deep breath and looks her dead in the eye.

"Okay, well, two things now that I think about it."

"Winn, just spit it out already!"

"One, say that Aliens are real and that you were totally and completely lying through your teeth. OH! And that my website isn't bogus and is totally super accurate."

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Winn, aliens are real, of course they are otherwise what in the hell would Superman be? Also, your website isn't completely bogus, though there are some irrigala-" 

"Ah ah ah, that's enough, thank you!" Amused, Kara uncrosses her arms and waves her arms at him impatiently.

"Well, what's the other condition? I'm hungry, and we don't have all day!"

"Okay, first of all, no rushing, secondly, you have to tell me all about Krypton! I mean, I have so many questions!" Grinning, Kara moves behind Winn and pushes him gently towards the metal doors to the stairs, all while Winn throws question after question.

She stops abruptly at the sharp ringing in her ears.

"I'm communicating at 50,000 hertz. If you can hear this, you are not human. You were not born on this Earth. It's painful, isn't it?" 

In shock, she lets go of Winn and takes a step back, Winn still asking her questions, but his voice fading more and more. She shakes her head in pain and closes her eyes, trying to alleviate her pain. 

"The humans of National City will suffer ten times this pain if you don't face me." 

Stumbling back, Winn finally turns around at her sudden quietness and looks at her confused, then concerned at seeing her so red and angry. She tilts her head to the side and clenches her jaw at the intense pain. Winn confused, tilts his head in the same direction, and tries to listen to whatever it is she seems to hear.

"Meet me at the National City Power Plant. How many innocent lives will be lost until you prove you are not a coward, Daughter of Alura." 

Shocked, she stumbles even further back and nearly trips over herself had it not been for Winn catching her wrist and tugging her forward. She huffs a breath, then two, before she looks at Winn.

"I have to go. I mean, jeez, sorry. Okay, all of those questions will be answered in due time, but how do you feel about starting your first mission with me, right now." Grinning, Winn straightens himself and sets his shoulders comically saluting her.

"Awaiting your orders!" Laughing, Kara looks around her for a moment and focuses on Cat's soft frustrated murmuring and shuffling of papers. Making sure she's busy enough not to notice her sudden absence, she looks to Winn.

"I know this sounds super lame, but I need you to cover for me in case Miss Grant suddenly asks for me. I'll give you an actual communications device at some point, promise, but for now, you can just come to the roof and shout for me, I'll hear it." Nodding, he turns and marches towards the doors and opens them dramatically and turns back to Kara. 

"Good Luck on whatever you're about to do!" Finally, he turns back around and goes down to do his appointed duty. The blonde laughs to herself and uses her super-speed to change into her suit. She presses a hidden button in her glasses, and suddenly her face isn't her own anymore. Jumping foot to foot as if she's some MMA fighter, she cracks her knuckles and loosens her shoulders up a bit and suddenly shoots off towards the National City Power Plant. 

Soaring through the sky, she makes sure she doesn't break the sound barrier. Once she has the powerplant in her sights, she pauses mid-flight and pulls out her phone. Reluctantly, she calls her sister's number and waits, though not for long because Alex picks up on the first ring. 

"Kara? Hey, I didn't think you'd call back, can we talk?"

"I didn't call you to make amends. I called you because, despite the fact that I can completely handle this on my own, I realize that I need DEO assistance. There is an alien with a mid to high threat level at the National City Powerplant. He used a high-frequency wave to contact me and threatened civilian lives."

"Okay, I'll report this to Director Henshaw, and Kara?"

"Yes?"

"Please be careful."

Hanging up, she puts her phone away. She continues on until she's hovering over a big water tank near the center of the plant. She quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to use her x-ray vision to locate anything seeing that ninety percent of the plant was lined with lead, so she decided to land and locate him using her hearing instead.

"Clever, picking a spot lined with lead, but I can still hear your heartbeat." She hears him get closer and closer. She humors him for a minute, but as soon as she hears him jumping towards her from behind, she is all business. Before he can even land, she whips around in a sharp back kick that strikes him straight in the chest, causing him to fly back through a wall. Making no move to follow him, she watches as he gets up, waiting for him to make his next move. So far, he hasn't proved to be a challenge at all, and she is slightly bored.

Finally, getting to his feet, he draws his axe and rushes her, taking a swing at her neck. Instead of blocking, she ducks and sidesteps, grabbing his right wrist in the process. Stepping back and to the side, she draws his wrist straight out to his side and twisting it forward sharply, causing him to drop his axe. She then places her other hand in the middle of his back and pushes him down onto his knees. He groans in pain and tries to free his arm, only to shout in even more pain. 

"Really? I was hoping for a bit more of a challenge. Who are you?"

"I won't tell you anything. On my planet, females bow before males."

Slightly annoyed, she twists his wrist further forward, causing him to yelp in pain. "Well, this is not your planet. Plus, who would bow to a male who lost his weapon before he could even get a single hit in?"

"How dare you speak to me like that! You share the same arrogance as your mother, Alura. 

"How do you know my mother?"

"You don't forget the name of the woman who condemned you to prison."

"Fort Rozz? What does that have to do with her?"

"She was our judge and jailor." He spits out furiously. "I can't kill her, but I can kill you." 

She laughs out loud at that. "I'm not the one on my knees here." 

Before he could respond, they both turn their heads up at the sky as two rockets shoot out towards them. Kara jumps out of the way, having to let the alien go to avoid the blast. She looks at the sky shocked and sees what she assumes is an agent zip down and land on the ground. She quickly turns to see where the alien ended up and sees him run as the chopper continues to shoot at him. Furious that he's getting away, she attempts to go after him only to get hit by one of the rockets, which knocks her off her feet and away from the alien. By the time she gets back up, he's disappeared, and she can no longer hear his footsteps. He's gone. 

She turns towards the agent who's running towards her and goes to shout at them when they rip off their helmet, revealing Alex. Gaping, she paces back and forth while a confused but guilty looking Alex watches. 

"I told you I had it handled." She stops pacing and finally faces Alex. 

"Director Henshaw told us to apprehend the alien."

"Yes, apprehend him, not shoot me and let him get away! I had him in my grasp; he was already down! What the hell was that?!"

"I had orders to capture at all costs. That man was dangerous, Kara!"

"So, you know who he is?"

"That was one of the escaped convicts from Fort Rozz." 

"Right, Fort Rozz, that just keeps coming up. Take me to Henshaw. I think we need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this story is going to be a lot longer than originally planned. Currently, there are notes that go through Chapter 17, and that will only be the mid-point of the story. Also, get ready for Lena in the next chapter!
> 
> Also, if anyone sees any mistakes or errors, please feel free to tell us and we will do our best to fix it.


	8. Chapter 7: No One Makes Kara Ramble Quite Like Lena Luthor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara yells at the DEO, and her interview with Lena takes a different turn than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a day between updates, wow. I will admit, this chapter took a completely different turn than we had originally planned, but that's how things go. Also, to everyone who commented about the inconsistency regarding James, that has been fixed.

She's pacing back and forth in front of Henshaw. His arms are crossed stubbornly, and he keeps shifting in place as if he's annoyed, but Kara's having none of that.

"I called you as back-up! As someone to pick the man up when I was done with him! Not to shoot at him, not to mention me, the minute you showed up. You were just supposed to be the retrieval team, but apparently, you couldn't even manage that! It's one thing to interrupt my daily life because you feel threatened by me, but it's an entirely different thing to interfere during a takedown of a dangerous man!"

"We knew what we were do-"

"I wasn't done talking! You did not know anything at all. You shot a hostile before even attempting to capture him! That has to be a violation of a law somewhere, I'm sure!" Henshaw glares, not appreciating being cut off, but doesn't interrupt her again.

"He was on his knees, disarmed, and about to give me information that could have been important! You ruined a perfectly easy op because you rushed it. Now answer me this, how in the hell does a prison like Fort Rozz crash land on Earth?"

Waiting a minute to make sure she's done, he grunts and gestures for her to follow him. After taking an unnecessary amount of twists and turns, they walk towards an elevator and go down, arriving at a sub-level basement.

"The DEO monitors and protects the Earth from extraterrestrial presence and invasion, and that includes you."

They walk into a room, and there, lying on a long table, is her ship. She hesitates for only a second, but she moves forward and runs her hands over the open compartment.

"We keep it as a reminder of the day you crashed on Earth. You're the reason for all of this, why this organization even started."

"That's rich, Hank," she said as she turned to face him. "Blame a 13-year-old girl for everything. Do you think I wanted to bring Fort Rozz here? To me, my planet had just exploded!"

She is about to continue berating Hank when she noticed something about Hank. The first time she spoke with him, she didn't have her powers due to the kryptonite, but now that she could see properly, she noticed something off with Hank's cells. They weren't human. But before she could say anything, Hank continued speaking.

"So, you know you brought Fort Rozz with you?"

"I'm aware that there was a maximum-security prison in the Phantom Zone, I just didn't know they had landed here or that they'd been pulled out with me."

"We're not sure how your pod got knocked loose. What we do know is this, you pulled Fort Rozz with you, and now every day is a struggle to put them back where they belong."

"And where exactly do they belong? I'm sure Fort Rozz was destroyed in its crash landing."

"We have our own high-security cells here. They're made with the same materials as the ones on Fort Rozz, or at least very close to it. We were never able to replicate it completely."

"Yes, I'm sure an alien metal would be hard to replicate." Turning back to her ship, she runs her hands over a hidden panel, and the doors open. She ignores the shocked gasp of Alex behind her and reaches inside.

"How did you open that?" Alex finally speaks up. "I have looked over every inch of this pod." Kara glances at her, annoyed.

"You could've just asked me. But I guess that would involve too much truth-telling for you."

Alex flinches and breaks eye contact. Crossing her arms, she walks towards the ship some more.

"It'll only open for me. It's biologically encoded to me. It's literally my ship. You shouldn't even have it in the first place, let alone any right to open it."

She quickly takes a small box and closes the pod.

"What did you just take out?" It's Hank who speaks up this time.

"None of your bus-"

"It is my business. That is government property!" Shocked at his audacity, she holds the box towards him, mockingly, causing him to glare at her childishness.

"It is most certainly not government property. I could program this ship to fly to the moon right now, and there would be nothing you could do to stop it. But if you must know what this box contains, it is my mother's bonding bracelet, and I'll be damned if I let you keep it."

"So you wouldn't mind opening it? Just to make sure, of course."

Glaring at him, she quickly steps towards him so that she can whisper right into his ear. "I'll show you what this box contains if you show me your true form. I'm sure General Lane would just love to know that the DEO is run by an alien." With that, she steps back to where she was and just looks at him, challenging him to say something.

He lets it go then, though not without giving her a surprised look. He clears his throat and continues with what they were discussing.

"Anyway, the point is, we've had Fort Rozz prisoners on the loose since you arrived on Earth, and now one of our only solid leads to capture him is gone. You should've let us handle this from the start."

"Oh, because you did such a good job."

"From what I saw on Alex's body cams, it looked like you were toying with him? How am I supposed to take you seriously when you toy with suspects like that?"

"I wasn't toying. I had him on his knees, ready to give me information. Let's not forget who blew it up in our faces!"

"We went over this already!"

"Both of you shut up!" Alex finally decided to join the conversation. "Director with all due respect, Kara is right, you shouldn't have given me that order outright. We should've gone down to asses the situation. Kara, you should've waited for us to get there with you. How are we supposed to believe you when you say you have it handled when we've never seen you in action like that before?"

Both Kara and Hank look glance at each other only to look away just as quickly. Kara crosses and uncrosses her arms and huffs.

"Okay, then test me."

"What?"

"Test me. If that will somehow get you guys off my back, then I want you to test me. A sparring session or something. I already know you guys have kryptonite, so you can just use that on me to make it even." Alex goes to protest, but Hank is already directing orders around.

"Agent Danvers, you will spar with Supergirl."

"Director-"

"That's an order, Agent."

"Yes, sir."

They all walk down a long corridor until they reach the gym. One of the scientists brings out a small black box, and Kara grits her teeth at what she knows is inside.

"Inside this box is a small amount of kryptonite. It won't necessarily hurt you, but it will bring some discomfort."

"That seems fair."

"Well, we want to know your capabilities, even in unfortunate circumstances."

"Don't push it, Henshaw." She walks towards a small bench and takes off her cape.

"So, Alex, do you have a preference?"

"On what?"

"Weapons, of course."

"Uhh...no weapons, hand to hand is fine."

"That works just fine for me too."

They both make it towards the middle of the sparring mat and wait for Henshaw to count down and begin. The differences in their stances are almost comical. While Alex is tense and worried for her sister, Kara is jumping from side to side rolling her shoulders, grinning.

"3...2...1 Go!"

Kara is quick to the offensive, and before Alex can even react, she finds herself in the very same hold that Kara had Vartox in earlier.

"Okay Hank, this your cue! Blow us both up now!"

"I yield! I yield, Kara, let me go!"

"Okay okay, quit your whining. How about this time I let you go first?"

Instead of answering, Alex goes to strike Kara but then falls to her knees as Kara grabs her wrist again and pulls it back. Grunting, she tries this time to break the hold only for it to start to hurt even more.

"I yield!"

Standing up straight, Kara walks over to the box containing the kryptonite, ignoring the nausea and discomfort caused by it. She quickly shuts the box and looks towards Alex, who's getting her shoulder tended to.

"I hope that was enough to quell your curiosity?"

Looking towards her sister, Alex speaks. "Would you mind if I asked you something?"

"I would, but you'll ask anyway."

"So you really did train with Wonder Woman?"

"That's unimportant. I promise I'll tell you about it one day, but right now, I don't think we are in the right place to have that conversation." With that, she picks up her cape and walks out. Remembering the way she came in she leaves the DEO entirely. She'll just find Vartox alone.

After leaving the DEO, she still had some time before her interview with Lena Luthor, so she decided to fly out to international waters to set up her fortress. While the box she removed from her pod did contain her mother's bracelet, it also contained Kryptonian data and construction crystals similar to what were in Clark's pod.

She found a good spot in about 5,500 meters of water, located far away from any shipping lanes where she placed the crystals. She remembered Krypton, of course, but seeing technology from her planet again made her homesick, happy, and sad, all at the same time.

Watching the crystals work was incredible, to say the least. Even though the sunlight didn't reach this far down, the construction put off its own light, and it was very easy to see how quickly they worked. Within minutes the fortress, which she dubbed the Fortress of Sanctuary, was complete. The completed structure was impossible to see from the outside, blended perfectly into the seabed surrounding it.

As soon as she entered, she was greeted by a Kelex robot.

"Greetings, Lady Kara Zor-El. How may I assist you?"

"Greetings, Kelex. Please update my name to Kara-El. I am the head of the House of El, and I intend to uphold my legacy."

"As you wish. Update complete. How may I assist you, Lady El?"

"I need to access all information contained on Fort Rozz."

"Access denied."

"On what grounds?"

"Zor-El has restricted access to certain topics."

"Overruled. With the destruction of Krypton, the High Council no longer exists. By birthright, I am heir to over half of the houses, and with the destruction of Krypton, I have grounds to claim all of the remaining houses. As head of the High Council, I move, second, and pass the motion to override all system restrictions. You serve at the behest of the Council, not my father."

"Council override accepted. All system restrictions removed. Which data on Fort Rozz would you like?"

"Prisoner manifest. I am looking for an alien that was wielding an axe that had an orange glow."

"Noted. There was only one prisoner aboard Fort Rozz that matches that description. His name is Vartox, from the planet Valeron. The weapon he uses is a Valeronian Fire Axe. He was…"

"That is enough, Kelex. Is there a way to track him?"

"Yes, the weapon he uses emits a unique type of radiation."

"Good." She quickly takes out her phone and presents it to Kelex. "Please fabricate me a data tablet modeled off of this device. Then, scan the planet for any trace of this radiation and send the results to my tablet. Also, please load the entire Fort Rozz prisoner manifest to my tablet as well."

"Yes, Lady El. Is there anything else I can be of assistance?"

"Yes. Please also scan the solar system for any alien transmissions and send any hits to my tablet."

"Yes, Lady El. Is there anything else I can be of assistance?"

"Yes. Please find my all relevant information on Lena Luthor and upload it to my tablet. I would like to know if she shares her brother's views."

"Yes, Lady El. Is there anything else I can be of assistance?"

"No. that will be all Kelex."

"As you wish, Lady El."

With that, Kara left her fortress and flew back to National City for her interview with Lena Luthor.

By the time Kara arrived in front of the LuthorCorp building, she had read all of the information that Kelex had provided her on Lena Luthor. She had found nothing to indicate that she shared in her brother's views. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Lena had gone as far as to personally donate to quite a few small alien clinics that were dotted around the country. Even though that had been done anonymously, it was quite easy for Kelex to trace the money back to her. There were also 38 Lena Luthor Children's Hospitals throughout the country that she had founded and helped to fund personally. Also, in the time since she had been appointed as the CEO of LuthorCorp, she had begun to shift the company's focus away from weapons development, and more towards medical advances and means to clean up the environment. By all means, Lena Luthor was a saint.

Walking into the main lobby of the building, Kara went straight up to the front desk, where the receptionist immediately greeted her.

"Hello, Miss. Welcome to LuthorCorp. Did you need help?'

"Yes, my name is Kara Danvers, and I have an interview with Miss Luthor at 4:15 for the position of her executive assistant."

"Of course, Miss Danvers. If you don't mind, I will need to see your ID. We have had to increase our security lately due to threats against Miss Luthor's life."

"That is perfectly fine," Kara responded, all while keeping a polite and friendly smile on her face. She handed the receptionist her ID and followed her through security. Once they were through and had arrived at the elevator bank, the receptionist handed her back her ID.

"Miss Luthor's office is on the top floor. Currently, it is restricted to her, board members and their assistants, and employees that she has approved. You have already been cleared to go up and she is expecting you. You can't miss her office. It is right at the end of the hall. Have a nice day, Miss Danvers."

Smiling at the employee, Kara stepped into the elevator, which had already been cleared for the top floor and waited. She was excited to meet Lena Luthor. Everything she had read pointed towards her being an amazing woman. Then there was her brilliancy. She was arguably, the smartest human on the planet, and Kara couldn't help but pray to Rao that she got the job because it would be amazing to be able to talk with someone who understands her.

By the time the elevator arrived at the top floor, Kara was ready for the interview. Stepping out, she walked straight to the end of the hall as the receptionist had said and arrived at two heavy oak doors. Pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath and then knocked.

"Come in."

After hearing the response, Kara opened the door and stepped into a very modern office. As soon as Kara saw Lena, though, all of the breath left her body. She was starstruck, and she barely managed to reach out and shake Lena's hand. Just that small contact alone had her head spinning and sparks shooting through her body, and she couldn't get over how soft her skin was.

"H-hello, Miss Luthor. I'm Kara...Danvers, Kara Danvers. I'm here for the executive assistant position, but that should be obvious. I mean why else would I be interviewing with you, Lena Luthor, who is the CEO of LuthorCorp, and I'm rambling. I promise I'm not normally like this, I'm just nervous, and I'll shut up now." She hasn't let go of her hand yet, too nervous about being the one to let go first.

"Yes, I know. Cat has told me all about you. May I have my hand back now?"

Blushing furiously, Kara quickly let go of her hand. "Sorry about that, Miss Luthor. I heard when going for an interview, you need to start with a firm shake, and I got carried away, and I'm rambling again."

"That is quite alright, Miss Danvers." Lena couldn't help but smile at the dorky woman in front of her. "I find it rather endearing. And please, call me Lena."

Somehow, Kara is sure she managed to turn even redder. "Of course, Mi… Lena. Well, if I'm calling you Lena…"

Taking a seat, Lena smiled again. So far, this woman was proving to be a breath of fresh air compared to the other people she had interviewed, and she hoped that Kara would accept her offer. "Kara it is then."

Taking a seat as well, Kara finally felt that she was getting her blushing under control.

"Before we begin, I have to ask, will me being a Luthor be a problem?"

"No. No of course not. You aren't your brother, Lena. I know about all of the children's hospitals that you have funded, not to mention the donations you have made to alien clinics."

Seeing the shocked look on Lena's face at the mention of her donations, Kara quickly hurried on. "I know they were supposed to be anonymous, but after a little bit of digging, I was able to find it. I promise that I will keep it to my self."

"Following information like that isn't an easy task. How did you manage to find it?"

Knowing that she couldn't just tell Lena that she was Supergirl and had an alien AI find everything about her wasn't exactly an option, so she decided to go with a little white lie, instead. "Okay, so my older sister may be an FBI agent and decided to look into you when she found out I was applying here." Realizing that probably sounded just as bad, she quickly began to ramble again. "Oh, Rao. Now you probably think I am here to spy on you. I s-swear, I'm not. I believe in giving everyone a fair chance, no matter what their family has done, and you probably want me to go now."

"It's fine, Kara. I don't want you to go. Ignoring the fact that you have private information, you are the most genuine person I have interviewed so far, and no, I don't think you are here to spy on me."

"Now that we have my family name out of the way, I would like to move to my second point. You are far too overqualified to be my assistant. If you would rather, I could find you a position as a senior researcher. Hell, with a CV like yours, and the recommendation from Cat, I would feel comfortable offering you the position of COO."

Kara was absolutely floored at that offer. She had been planning on building her own empire after getting a few more years of experience, yet here she was, getting offered the keys to the kingdom. It may not be exactly what she was planning, but being the COO of LuthorCorp and getting to work alongside Lena sounded very enticing.

"Did you… did you just say… COO?"

"I did indeed, Kara. It is the position that I used to hold before becoming CEO and it is now vacant. After I saw your CV, I immediately thought that you had potential for the spot. I have already finished the vetting process and the board has already approved you for the position. So, Kara, what do you say? Would you like to come and work for LuthorCorp as the COO?" Lena asked with a hopeful smile on her face.

Kara was speechless. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that she would get offered the position of COO, yet here she was, getting offered the position of COO. Lena was placing a tremendous amount of trust in her, and she wanted to take the position, but she knew she would lose all of it if she didn't come clean about being Supergirl.

"You have no idea how much I would love to accept your offer, Lena. But," Kara watched as Lena's smile faltered at the word but, "if I am going to accept this position, I need to be completely honest with you, Lena. The amount of trust you are placing in me is huge, so I need to do the same."

Taking a deep breath, she says the two words that she knows will change her life forever.

"I'm Supergirl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-Dun-Dunnnn! The reveal! This wasn't how it was planned to go, Kara was supposed to just be her assistant. However, it just felt right to offer her the position of COO. Also, some of you might think to mention an inconsistency regarding Hank, but that has already been fixed.
> 
> As always your feedback is encouraged and appreciated. Please tell us if there are any more inconsistencies that we missed in chapters 1 and 2 because there wasn't a plot at that point.
> 
> The next chapter is the conversation between Kara and Lena, so get ready.


	9. Chapter 8: The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena talk and Vartox gets dealt with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, massive update. We have a new chapter, as well as a new title and description. We hope it doesn't confuse anyone, but we think this is better.
> 
> Here is a longer one for you guys. We got kind of carried away writing the conversation between Kara and Lena, and before we knew it, we had over 5,200 words. Regardless, we hope you like this chapter.

"I'm Supergirl."

"You're Supergirl."

"I'm Supergirl."

The smile that Lena had just moments ago disappeared completely to be replaced by a contemplative look.

"If you are Supergirl, then why do you look completely different in the few photos there are of her?"

Of all the things that Lena could have said, of all the ways that she could have responded, that question was not a response that Kara had imagined. "I use an image inducer of my own design," and as she says that, she removes her glasses and activates the inducer.

She watches as the look on Lena's face goes from contemplative to sheer wonder, and before she can start asking questions, Kara decides it is best to cut her off, or they would be stuck here for hours.

"If the position is still open to me, I can share the technical details with you later, Lena." As she says this, she turns the image inducer off and puts her glasses back on.

This response seems to satisfy Lena for the moment, and they get back to the original topic.

"Of course the position is still open to you. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You're not angry?"

Quickly walking around her desk with her smile firmly back in place, she can't help but gush a little bit. "No, it's incredible, you're incredible," the wonder and happiness now audible in her voice. "But, I mean, why are you trusting me with such a big secret? You barely know me."

"Because I know that what you want more than anything, is to do good. And I know that people have hurt you in the past and that it is hard for you to trust people, but I need you to know now, without a doubt, I trust you. With this position you are offering me, it is clear that you are trusting me, so I need to do the same."

"My cousin, your brother, they got it wrong. Imagine what we could do together, a Luthor and a Super, working together as a team."

"If we were partners, we could change the world." Reaching her hand out, Lena decided now was the time to ask her to again be the COO. "So what do you say, Kara Danvers? Does LuthorCorp have a new COO?"

"El. My name is Kara-El." Kara watches Lena's smile grow impossibly wider as she takes her hand. "So, when do I start, boss?"

"You're my partner, Kara, and I'll see you on Monday. Now, with all of that out of the way, I have so many questions, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, Lena. I want us to be equals in this."

"Also, before we get too distracted, could you please sign these papers so l can get everything settled with HR."

Taking her seat again, Lena waited until Kara had finished signing the paperwork, and then dove straight into her questions. "So, I take it that your sister wasn't the one to look into me then."

Chuckling, Kara responded. "No. While she does work for the government, she wasn't the one to look into you. She doesn't even know that I am here, actually. We are kind of in the middle of a fight right now, since she doesn't exactly support me being Supergirl. I know that she is only worrying out of love for me, but still. I actually had a Kryptonian AI find all of the relevant information on you and send it to my phone, which has been seriously upgraded."

"You have access to Kryptonian technology?" Kara can see her scientific curiosity coming back to the surface again as she continues. "I mean, of course, you have access to Kryptonian technology. I mean, you're Supergirl, so why wouldn't you?"

"Lena, before you get too carried away asking about technology, I need you to understand a few things. First, many of the things that I'll end up telling you about won't be able to be used or produced by LuthorCorp currently. I mean, if I wanted to, I could release a power source tomorrow that would completely eliminate the need for fossil fuels."

"Imagine a power core the size of a baseball that could power the entire West Coast for the next 100 years. Or micro-cells that could be used to power a new wave of electric cars. While all of that sounds good, doing so would collapse the world economy. All of those people who currently work in the oil industry would suddenly be without jobs."

"Second, there will be times where I can't tell you things, and I need you to understand that this isn't because I don't trust you, or don't want to tell you. There are some secrets that just aren't mine to tell and others that could potentially endanger you or others."

"I do understand this, Kara, and I am glad that you are thinking of these things as well. I will never let LuthorCorp release advanced tech without carefully looking at how it will affect the planet. But this won't stop me from asking about things, Kara. I am a scientist and an engineer, and I know that you can appreciate the need to understand things."

"I do understand this, Lena. It is one of the reasons I was so excited to interview with you. It will be nice to finally have someone that I can actually talk to who understands me. Having to hide my true self all of the time got incredibly tiring, and I am so excited to be able to just be me finally."

"There is actually something that I wanted to ask for your help on, Lena. I am sure you saw on the news that I was abducted recently."

Nodding at this, Lena responded. "Yes, I did see that. How was that managed?"

"It was an oversight on my part. I am weak to a material known as kryptonite, and the people who abducted me knew this. It is a weakness that I need to fix, but I am running into a snag getting an even energy distribution without it blowing up in my face. I was hoping that you could help me with this."

Lena looked absolutely ecstatic at being asked to help and immediately dove right in. "Well, I would need a sample of kryptonite to really be of any use, but I am assuming that it is similar to radiation, correct?"

"Yes. The effects that kryptonite has on me are similar to the effects that you would feel from being exposed to a nuclear reactor. The only difference is that I heal after I get away from it."

"Okay, so what have you tried so far?"

"I have been trying to use a blanket compression field to block out all forms of radiation, but so far, I haven't been able to achieve a stable field without overloading the power source and causing it to explode in my face."

"Hmm. I can see why you would go with that, but perhaps we could try a different approach entirely."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, seeing that you have access to Kryptonian computers and AI tech, why don't we go with something simpler, like a wave inverter? Instead of trying to outright block the kryptonite, we could use one of your high tech toys to analyze any incoming forms of radiation and then produce a wave of the opposite frequency, which would then neutralize any kryptonite in the immediate area."

Hearing Lena quickly work through a potential solution as quickly as she had was amazing, not to mention incredibly hot, and Kara couldn't help but facepalm at the obvious solution.

"That's genius, Lena. I knew bringing you in on this was a good idea. I can get us some samples by Monday so we can actually start working on it."

Lena couldn't help but preen at the praise from Kara. She wasn't used to people openly trusting her the way that Kara was, and it felt good. She was becoming more and more grateful that Kara had accepted the position of COO by the second. Having a member of the board that supports her in this way was going to be invaluable to LuthorCorps image after all of the damage that Lex did. Then there was the fact that Kara came recommended by Cat Grant herself. Now, as far as Cat was aware, Lena was only interviewing Kara for the position of her EA, not the COO, but she did not doubt that the media queen would take it in stride.

"There is one more thing that I would like to recommend, Kara."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"While I agree that modifying your suit is a wonderful idea for the short term, what would happen if there came a time that you weren't wearing it? What then? This technology won't be small, and we will most likely need to hide it beneath armor plating. You will need a permanent solution to kryptonite, one that couldn't be taken away from you."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I know this might be a little much, but I would like to run some tests on you. It is my hope that through advanced gene therapy, we could eliminate your weakness all together. I can understand if you don't feel comfortable with this, though."

"Lena, I know that we just met, but I trust you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked you for help with my suit, let alone tell you my secret in the first place. If you think you can eliminate my weakness to kryptonite entirely, then I believe you. So yes, I will let you run the tests that you need."

"Thank you, Kara. I'm not used to people trusting me like this, and I am glad that you are letting me work on this with you. It might take a bit, but I have no doubt that between the two of us, we will be able to figure it out."

"I know that it seems weird for me to trust you so quickly, Lena, but I do. You have a pure heart and soul, and it is a shame that more people can't see that."

Feeling herself start to tear up, Lena decided to change the topic before she lost control of her emotions more than she already had.

"I do have one more question, however. You said Superman is your cousin, so what does he think of you coming to work for me?"

Kara couldn't help but snort at this, getting a confused look from Lena in response. "Kal-El is only my cousin by name, and quite frankly, I couldn't care less what he thinks of me. When we left Krypton, he was just a baby, and I was supposed to protect him."

Lena couldn't help her look of surprise at the blonde's reaction to the mention of her cousin, but she caught something that she just had to ask about. "Wait, so you are saying that you are older than Superman?"

"Yes, I was 13 when I left Krypton. Our pods were less than a minute apart, but I got caught in the shockwave and propelled into what is called the Phantom Zone. It is a location where time doesn't pass, and no, we never understood the science behind it." While it was very brief, Kara watched as Lena actually pouted at the fact that she didn't have any answers as to why the Phantom Zone existed, and it was the cutest thing ever.

"Regardless of that, I don't care what my cousin thinks of me. When I landed, I was a scared 13-year-old girl who had, quite literally, watched her entire world explode in front of her. To me it seemed like it had just happened and then I realized that I had been trapped in stasis for 24 years, and the cousin, who I was supposed to protect and teach about Krypton, was now a grown man. I mean, he could hardly even speak Kryptonian."

"After I got over the initial shock of that, all I wanted to do was stay with him and begin teaching him about his heritage and what does he do? Instead of protecting me, he dropped me off with the Danvers, who he trusted, and never spoke to me again. The only times that he and I have spoken in the past 13 years was when he decided that I was doing something that he didn't like and that he needed to yell at me."

"Don't get me wrong, I love the Danvers now, and I will be forever grateful to them. Even my sister, who I am currently pissed at. But it was hard. At first they wanted me to blend in, to be a human and deny my heritage, all in the name of safety. I understand why they did it looking back, but at the time it hurt. A lot. It took them almost six years to realize that I had no intention of being human, and by then, I had already begun training to get to the point that I am at now."

Interjecting, Lena couldn't help but ask a question. "If you don't mind me asking, where and how did you train if your family didn't want you to?"

"Wonder Woman found me about a year after I landed. She knew who I was and was mad at Clark for what he…" Realizing what she said, she stopped and waited to see what Lena's reaction would be to her very obvious slip.

"It's okay, Kara. I already knew that Clark Kent is Superman. Now, you were saying something about Wonder Woman?"

Smiling gratefully at the raven-haired woman, she continued with her story. "Wonder Woman knew who I was, and what Clark had done to me. She didn't approve of his actions and offered to take me to Themyscira to live and train, but by that time, I had already begun to feel attached to the Danvers, so I decided to train with her in secret while still living with them."

"But that is irrelevant for right now. Then, I decided to reveal myself to the world, and needless to say, Clark was not happy with me. He came to my apartment that night and yelled at me. He told me that he didn't think I could handle the responsibility of being a Super and that I should just continue to hide myself from the world. Now that I think about it, I am probably going to need to get a new apartment, because I have to imagine a COO living in a building with no security could pose potential problems. But yeah, I really don't like my cousin. I think he is an arrogant prat that only cares about his own fame."

Lena laughed at that description of Superman, glad that Kara wasn't falling for his charms. While her heart was breaking for the blonde after hearing everything that she had gone through, she was also impressed. Instead of giving in to her pain, she had risen above it and become an incredible young woman. "Well, I would definitely say that that is an apt description of Clark Kent. Also, I have a solution for your apartment issue, Kara. You are right that it would raise some security concerns for LuthorCorp to have its COO living in an unsecured building, even if you are Supergirl. I own the Solarium complex, and the penthouse in the second building is available. I live in the penthouse of building one, and I have no concerns in selling you the other one."

"Lena, there is no way that I could afford that."

"Nonsense, Kara. Did you even look at what you will be making?"

Quickly looking back through the contract, she gasped when she saw how much she was going to be making. She would be making over $10 million a year, and that wasn't even counting bonuses and stock options.

"Lena, this is too much. There is no way that I can accept this."

Taking back the contract, Lena couldn't help the smile on her face. "Well, Kara, you already did. I have your signature on this contract right here."

"Well, I haven't even been paid yet, so I still can't afford it." Kara smiled at Lena, thinking she had won.

"Consider it a signing bonus, then. Also, did I mention that there is space for a private lab as well?"

At the mention of the private lab, Kara couldn't help but concede. It would be so much more helpful to have a lab in her own home. While she did have her Fortress of Sanctuary now, it was very out of the way, and she didn't want to fly out there every time she needed to do some research.

"But seriously, Kara, you are absolutely worth this. I have a feeling that with you as our COO, LuthorCorp's profits will skyrocket. Also, I know it might be too soon for this, but I would really like to be your friend. I don't have any friends in National City, or at all, really."

"I would like nothing more than that, Lena." She was about to continue when her stomach rumbled, causing Lena to laugh.

"Well, it sounds like someone is hungry. Your body must burn through a lot of calories, having to be Supergirl."

"20,000 calories," she said with a slight blush.

"Wow, that is a lot. Now I am really glad that I am paying you as much as I am because that amount of food can't be cheap."

"No, it isn't, but when I would buy Cat food, she would let me get something for myself as well, so that helped a lot."

"Well, how about this, then. I am really enjoying our conversation, so why don't we order some take out and have it delivered here? I mean, if you don't want to, I completely understand, but…"

"That sounds lovely, Lena."

Almost an hour later, they were both laughing like teenage girls and eating Chinese food on Lena's couch. By this point, it was just past nine, and Kara hadn't even realized it, and she was having such a good time that she would have missed her phone going off if Lena hadn't pointed it out.

Looking at it, she frowned when she saw that it was a notification from Kelex, giving her the location of Vartox. "I am so sorry, Lena, but…"

"I take it there is something that requires the presence of Supergirl."

"Yes, but…"

"Go save the day, Supergirl. We can talk more tomorrow."

With a grateful smile, Kara quickly hugged Lena, not even thinking about what she was doing, before she rushed out of the office. If she had stayed a moment longer, she would have seen an almost dopey expression on Lena's face after the hug.

As she quickly walks out of the office, she debates how serious it would be to go out of the roof and decides it'd be too obvious. She remembers the people downstairs mentioning how security has been tightened and quickly forgets about that option. Therefore, she makes her way to the elevator and presses the button for the 1st-floor.

While in the elevator, she takes her phone back out and looks at the map and notices that Vartox is moving at a rapid pace, meaning that he must be mobile. As soon as she makes it to the first floor, she bolts out and heads straight to a nearby alley, where she quickly changes into her suit. After stashing her clothes, she bends her needs and takes off, flying as hard and as fast as possible without breaking the sound barrier.

She debates on whether or not to call the DEO again but thinks better of it considering what happened earlier today. Soon enough, she finds herself hovering over a semi-truck, and after using her x-ray vision, she can see Vartox inside. 

"There you are." She says as she lands right in front of the truck, causing it to crash right into her and shatter around her body. She brings her arms to cover her face as she does it and chuckles softly to herself as she sees him being flung out of the driver's seat.

"You know, it is required by law to wear a seatbelt. That way, when you run into something, you don't go flying through the windshield. It does make my job easier, though. Now I don't need to drag you out of the truck."

Groaning, he looks up and visibly flinches at the sight of her. Quickly getting to his feet, he draws his axe and wastes no time in swinging it at her. Seeing that he isn't holding back this time, she steps back and dodges. As soon as he is off-balance from the missed swing, she launches herself towards him and quickly gains momentum and flies towards him, punching him straight in the face. Before she can fly away, she feels him grab her boot, so she glances back and kicks him in the face, hard. Stunned from the force of the kick, he drops his axe and falls to his knees, but gets back up quickly and goes to punch her again. 

"Honestly, what could you possibly have done on Krypton to be considered dangerous? You haven't even landed a single hit yet." Getting knocked to the ground aging, he doesn't answer her, but the angry growl he lets out makes it clear that he heard her.

He jumps up again, and this time, having located his axe goes for her head. Dodging strike after strike, she can see that she is beginning to wear him out, so she catches his axe mid-swing and yanks it out of his hand, leaving him weaponless. She kicks him straight in the chest, sending him flying back through the burning truck, splitting it in half. She examines the axe and tosses it from hand to hand, feeling its weight. 

"You know, I think I might keep this, seems sturdy." Not hearing a response from him, she looks to where he landed and notices that he is having trouble getting back up, so she seizes the opportunity. She marches over to him and grabs the back of his shirt and flies away from the truck. 

She makes her way into the DEO, dragging him along behind her. Seeing her sister and Hank standing in the command center, she looks at them both smugly.

"I told you I could handle it, next time, I expect better cooperation so that incidents like this won't happen again." Huffing, Hank signals for some Agents to take Vartox away and into a cell. Alex stays still for a moment and walks towards Kara.

"Um...listen, can we-"

"Where is his axe?" Alex is interrupted by Hank, who shouts from across the room at Kara. 

"I'm keeping the axe." 

"The hell you are, this is serious Kara-"

"You can either address me as Lady El or Supergirl, Director Henshaw. I am the head of my house and considering the circumstances, head of the High Council of Krypton as well."

Alex looked stunned at her admission, but she ignores her for the time being. "As for the weapon you speak of, I am taking it into my custody as I am the one to have apprehended him. It is a technology that I don't feel comfortable leaving in the hands of the DEO. While we're on the subject of things that don't belong to the DEO, I'd like my ship back." 

"That is out of the question! It is government property!" 

"It wasn't up for discussion in the first place. I'll be leaving the DEO with my ship today, whether you like it or not, Henshaw. However you try to claim it, it is my ship, and not yours. Saying it's government property is useless." She glares straight at Hank and makes her way towards the elevator that would lead her to the room where it was stored. 

She is halfway there when a dozen agents run in front of her, weapons drawn and pointed at her. She pauses and then looks at Hank again. She takes a deep breath and turns back around. Using her freeze breath, but making sure not to injure any of them, she blows them all to the ground.

"Hank! Come here right now!" Startled at her tone, he hesitantly makes his way towards her. Once he makes it all the way, she leans forward and whispers to him. 

"Listen, I'm sure you yourself wouldn't be comfortable with the government holding your own ship, so I suggest you let me take it now while you still have your pride. You may have caught me off-guard with the kryptonite, but I am sure by now you've noticed that I can take care of myself just fine without my powers." He glares at her at the mention of his own ship. 

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop mentioning that."

"Mentioning what, Henshaw." Kara's got the smallest of smirks, and Hank takes a step back at her attitude. 

"You know exactly what. Even if I wanted to, I can't just hand it to you, I've still got higher-ups to listen to." 

"I don't care. I'm taking my ship, and it will never be in the hands of the government again. People like General Lane think that they can just do what they please when it comes to matters regarding aliens, but that ends now. He, and everyone else, will learn soon enough I'm not some pushover hero. I may have only been doing this hero thing for a couple of days now, but I've got some connections of my own." 

He's silent for a moment, but before he can give her another response, Alex speaks up. 

"Sir! I think we should let her just take it. We've got enough information on it to cushion the blow from General Lane." 

"Agent Danvers, I don't think you get any say in this matter. You're too close to the situation."

"Well, if I'm too close, then consider the fact that she's no doubt been in contact with Wonder Woman, sir." 

"What do you mean, Agent? A little permission slip isn't contact."

"Oh, she's not wrong!" The hero interrupts. 

"What?" 

"I have been in contact with Wonder Woman. If she doesn't hear from me in an hour, you can expect to have her kicking down your door. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's ultimately up to you, but regardless of what you pick, I'll still leave with my ship today."

"You're awfully sure of that, aren't you?"

"Yes, well, I did open it myself after only two minutes, while you struggled to do just that for how many years now?" Realizing she has a point, he grunts and massages his temples. 

It's silent now, everyone staying still as they all watch Supergirl and their director stand each other down. The agents that were blown over had gotten back up now, their guns once again trained on her, awaiting orders. 

"I'm done waiting." Before anyone could react, she super speeds past the agents and forces the elevator doors open. 

"I'm sorry about that, but we've been going back and forth for a while now, and I have other things to do. I don't want to cause any of you any more problems, and I don't want to destroy any more of your base, but I will unless you help me. It'd be so much easier that way."

Thinking about what she's said so far, and suddenly feeling a tad sympathetic, Hank doesn't put up much of a fight after that. He'll just have to deal with General Lane himself, though he will gloss over some details. 

"Alright, agents, stand down. Agent Danvers, please escort Supergirl to her pod and make sure she doesn't rip open any more of my doors, please."

Moving quickly, Alex walks up to Kara and gestures for her to get inside the elevator. It's an awkward silence going down. At one point Alex tries to say something only to be met with a single raised finger. She doesn't try again after that. 

After finally bypassing all of the security, they finally stand in front of Kara's ship. 

"So, how're we getting my ship out of this place, I'm sure you have a loading dock here somewhere right?" 

"We do, but there are too many civilians outside that would see your ship. We'll have to take it to the roof, and there's an elevator not too far from here." Kara raises her eyebrows a bit at the lack of secrecy that happens if that were the case.

"That doesn't sound very secure?"

"It's only to resupply on essential office and training supplies, nothing top secret like spaceships."

"We do have another way to take it out, and that's the roof. It's where we'd transfer prisoners if we capture them in the city."

"Ah, that makes sense then. Come on, then, lead the way I'll wheel it out."

The only sound between them was the small strained sounds the wheels made of the cart that was used to carry the ship. Save for a couple of disgruntled scientists, they made it to the elevator in a decent amount of time. This elevator was different from the other ones that Kara had seen in the building. It was larger, and the only way to close it was by pulling down a grate, instead of a simple button. Another stretch of awkward silence fills the air as Alex shuffles side to side. 

"Does the DEO know how to contain Vartox?"

"We have power dampening handcuffs, so he'll be at human strength, he won't be an issue after today."

"If he says anything about Alura again, let me know." 

"Alura? Your mother?" Sighing, Kara turns to her with her arms crossed. She looks just as uncomfortable as Alex. 

"He mentioned that she was the one to have put him away. On Krypton, I knew she was a Judicator. It's a sort of judge or lawyer role we had. What I didn't know was that she sentenced people to Fort Rozz. It's just a little hard to wrap my head around. I mean, when he mentioned her, I didn't even process it until now."

"I'll tell you whatever he says," Alex says earnestly and almost goes to give her arm a squeeze before pulling away just as quickly. Clearing her throat, Kara turns back around to the elevator doors. Finally, they open to a large helipad just like in Catco. Once there, Kara wheels her ship onto the helipad and turns it on before pushing it off, so the ship hovers for a moment. She hops in, and once she finally settles, she gets hit with a feeling of deep nostalgia as she looks around the controls to make sure everything still works. 

"I'm off then."

"Wait!"

"What do you want?"

"Will we ever get past this?"

"Eventually. I miss our sister nights, but I just need some time. Please respect that, Alex." With that, she closes the ship and hovers higher and activates her ship's cloaking device before she shoots off and towards her Fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, please point out any inconsistencies with earlier chapters. With two people writing, it is very easy to forget what has and hasn't been written. Also, we would like to thank wttboz for the idea of gene therapy.


	10. Chapter 9: James the Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James shows his true colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen already, Chapter 1 has been rewritten and a prologue has been added, so please go and check that out. They really add to the story. Also, Chapter 2 has been edited to add more drama between Kara and Clark.

Kara's got a different vibe to her when she walks towards Cat's office. Instead of the timid, cardigan-wearing assistant that people were used to, there was a confidant young woman dressed to kill. She had received a text from Lena telling her that she needed to change up her wardrobe now that she was the COO of LutherCorp, as well as a ten percent forward on her first paycheck, and she had taken it to heart. Instead of her usual cardigans and sundresses, she is wearing a beautifully tailored Armani pants suit and smiling confidently at people as well as waving to some who wave at her. Many of them look confused at her new style, but she continues through security.

On her way there, she runs into Winn, who had just come back from his lunch break. Upon seeing her, he almost didn't recognize her and had to do a double-take. He breaks into a grin and walks quickly to her.

"Dude! I thought you got fired or something after not coming back yesterday! I covered for you as you asked though, Cat didn't seem to ask for you at all. Also, what is with the new look? You look like you are ready to walk into a board meeting or something."

"I think I forgot to mention that I had a job interview yesterday! So much happened in one day. Let me go talk to Cat first, and then I'll tell you what happened, okay?" Nodding quickly, he makes his way to his desk and goes back to work.

She knocks first before going in so as not to startle Miss Grant.

"Come in then, don't keep me waiting."

"Right right, sorry."

Kara goes to sit across from Miss Grant before she stops midway.

"No, no, no. This won't do. Let's sit on the couch. This chair is getting increasingly uncomfortable as time passes, I might need to buy a new one." Nodding, she makes her way towards the couches and sits down there instead.

"I came over here to thank you for getting me in touch with Miss Luthor. It really is a great job opportunity." Waving her off, Cat makes her way towards her drinks table and pours herself a drink before she sits across from Kara.

"Yes, yes, I know. What I don't know is how it went."

"Well, it went better then I expected. I went in looking for an EA opening and left with an even bigger job." Cat quirks an eyebrow at Kara.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, what job did she offer you instead."

"COO."

Cat's hand freezes in the air as she had just been about to take a drink, and her brows raise almost to her hairline in surprise. A few moments pass, as she was caught off guard before she finally spoke.

"Did you just say, COO?"

"Yes."

"As in Chief Operating Officer?"

"Yes?" Confused with the amount of questions Cat's throwing her, she looks at her concerned. Cat's hand is still frozen, and the look of surprise hasn't left her face.

"Yes, I'm quite alright, just a bit shocked is all. That's a pretty big jump there. Assistant to Cat Grant to COO of LuthorCorp. At least it explains the change in style. I was wondering how you afforded that suit. You look much better in Armani then you ever did in those silly cardigans."

"So, you didn't know?"

"No, of course not! I sent you in for an entry-level job! Not for the second most important job in the company!"

"Really? She had a contract drawn up and everything!"

"Kiera, the minute that becomes public knowledge you come to me for that exclusive do you hear me?"

"I'll ask Lena about it. Though I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"So we're at first name basis with the boss?" Blushing a bit, Kara loses her composure for a moment.

"I...uh, She insisted I call her that. She says we're partners now, so it'd be weird if I didn't."

"Huh, yes, I'm sure. Anyway, congratulations are in order," and she lifts her glass.

"Yes, thank you. It wouldn't have been possible without your help. Really!"

"You have 6 Ph.D.'s. You would have gotten there on your own without me, but you're welcome."

"Kara has 6 Ph.D.'s?!" They both turn simultaneously to look back at a shocked Winn.

"Oh please, do you make it a habit to downplay yourself like that, Kiera?"

"It never came up in conversation! Honestly, I was going to tell him after we were done talking!"

Looking back towards Winn, Cat goes right back to her snarky self. "Now, IT hobbit, what is so important that you came barging in here for?"

"I was just...um... there's someone here to see you, Miss Grant, sorry that's why I came in." He trips over his words as he's still reeling at having just found out Kara has 6 Ph. D's!

"Right! Well, the show must go on, god knows where my assistant is at the moment if she wasn't the one to deliver the news herself."

"You sent her out for coffee a couple of minutes ago. She is on her way up, I'm sure."

"Right well, that's beside the point. I have a business to run now. Come back when you got that permission for that exclusive?"

"Of course, Miss Grant. If you don't mind, could I borrow one of the meeting rooms?"

As Cat gets up, she makes a show of dusting her pants off. "Of course. Oh, and Kara?" Stopping, Kara turns to look at Cat, shocked that she got her name right. "Good job. I always knew you were meant for great things."

"Thank you, Cat." Beaming, Kara leaves her office so she can have her meeting, leaving her alone with a still flabbergasted Winn.

"Let's talk then. I know the perfect place." Having nothing to say yet, he nods and holds the door open for her, neither of them noticing James sneaking up to eavesdrop.

They both quickly make their way towards the main elevator. Once inside, Kara presses the button for the 44th floor, and Winn looks at her, confused.

"Isn't that floor under renovation?" Kara just grins and says nothing as the doors close.

Just before that happens, they both hear someone shout to hold the doors. Kara looks between the two closing doors and sees a jogging James Olsen make his way towards them with a massive smile on his face. She gives him a polite smile as well while also pressing the close doors buttons quickly. Winn looks at her amused and sits back and watches as James, unfortunately, makes it in time and opens the door with his big arm.

"Ahaha, thanks for holding." He beams at her and makes an obvious show of standing between Winn and her to get as close as possible to Kara herself.

"Yeah, sure." The blonde looks at him, confused as he hasn't even pressed a number yet.

"You gonna press a number, dude?" It's Winn who asks instead.

"Huh? Oh yeah! I almost forgot my bad." He presses a random number under 44 and stands back. Kara and Winn exchange looks behind him and then look back straight ahead. It makes for an awkward few seconds. James is on his phone while Kara and Winn just look around silently. Finally, making it to their designated floor, they quickly get out before James can ask any questions.

"Jeez, that man is creepy. I mean, did you see the way he just barged in?" Snickering, Kara shakes her head, amused, and gestures for Winn to follow her.

After a couple of minutes of trying to move around unopened boxes and wrapped up furniture, they finally make it into a small room with unpainted walls. She gestures to one of the wrapped desks so Winn can sit, and she leans on one of the walls.

"So, what happened yesterday?"

"Well, when I left you on the rooftop, it was to take care of this alien that was sending out very painful radio frequencies. Before I got there, I had called…Winn?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever tell you about the government agency that kidnapped me that one time?"

"Not in detail, but I read about it, why?"

"Well, I had a way of contacting them, so I called them to be back up in case I needed it because this would've been the first alien I'd ever fought."

"Right, that makes sense then."

"Yes, well, after I called them, I took care of this alien. He was relatively easy to take care of, so I had him on his knees in less than three minutes. Then they came in out of nowhere and started shooting at him and me, and it was chaos! By the end of their shooting, he had gotten away, and I was so mad! It was a mess!"

"So they really do shoot first and ask questions later."

"Yes, exactly! There was an agent there as well, claiming that this alien was very dangerous and that they had been looking for him for a while. That didn't excuse shooting me as well, but that's beside the point. After I made my way into their headquarters, I talked to the director and had a few words with him about simply listening to me next time I say I have it handled. They challenged me to see if I was actually capable of handling things by myself, and I easily won that as well."

"That doesn't sound very fair! You have superhuman abilities!"

"I thought of that too, so I told them they had permission to use kryptonite, which is the only thing that can dampen my powers. It was a relatively fair fight."

"Ah, okay, carry on then."

"Right, well, after beating them twice just to get my point across, they took me down to where they were keeping my pod and start to talk about how I'm the reason they started that organization in the first place and all kinds of bullshit. I took out a couple of necessities from my ship, and you'd laugh at the number of shocked faces there were! They couldn't even open the damn thing, and they were claiming it as government property!"

"Ah, that does sound awfully messy."

"Yes, it was, so I decided the next time I went after the alien, I'd do it myself. So I did, I captured him, brought him back to them because they have the ability to actually keep him detained, and I stole my ship back. I might have left a few things out, but that's only what happened before my interview!"

"Who'd you have your job interview with?"

"Lena Luthor!"

"No way!"

"Yes, way! It gets better! I was going only for a small role in the company. Miss Grant even set it up, Lena needed an executive assistant, and I was more than qualified for that. I was a little thrown off when she brought up the fact that I had so many Ph.D.'s, and she thought I was overqualified for that job. Which, okay, makes sense, but then she comes out of left field and offers me the position of COO, which I accepted." In shock, Winn abruptly gets up and gapes at her. He's just about to comment when the door to the boardroom burst open, revealing James.

"What the hell?!" It's Winn that startles and puts a hand over his heart.

"You're working with a Luthor?!"

"Did you follow us here? And were you eavesdropping on our private conversation, Mr. Olsen?" Somehow he misses the irritated tone in her voice, and he keeps stalking towards her.

"How could work for that wretched family! Did you forget that they've tried to bring down aliens since Superman made his debut?"

"I don't judge people on the actions of their families, and Miss Luthor has done nothing but good things, not that it's any of your business what I do with my life."

"Damn right it's my business! Clark and I did not work tirelessly to put that man behind bars for you to just waltz right into their hands!" Kara's gaze darkens at the mention of Clark and tilts her head in mild curiosity.

"You and Clark, huh? Why would it matter if I worked for Miss Luthor? She hasn't done anything to me." Just as he's about to say something, he pauses as he assesses what he had just revealed. Kara's assumptions of Clark actually having sent one of his friends to spy on her have just been confirmed, and she's not even surprised.

"You know why, Kara." He glances at Winn, who'd just been watching it all go down from the sidelines, completely confused but also ready to jump in to defend Kara however he could. He's got his arms crossed protectively as he looks James up and down suspiciously.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about Winn here, he knows."

"So, not only are you going to be working with a Luthor, you're telling everyone you meet your secret?"

"How different is it to Clark revealing my secret to you? I only just met you the other day, whereas I have known Winn for over two years. That's two more years than i have known you."

"I've known Clark since before he came out as Superman, I think I'm entitled to know about your identity as well."

"No, you most certainly are not. It is my secret to tell. He has no say, what so ever, in anything that happens in my life. As soon as I arrived here, he decided that he wanted nothing to do with me. I don't appreciate you barging into my private conversation to give an input as well when I don't know you at all."

"You may not know me, but I definitely know you."

"Oh? And how is it that you know me, Mr. Olsen? Because my cousin sure as hell doesn't know me so please, enlighten me."

"He talks non-stop about you and your accomplishments…"

"Please, my cousin has spoken to me four times since I have landed on this planet, and each time all he has done is yell at me. So try again. How is it that you think you know me?"

"Clark is a complicated guy. All he did is what is best for you by keeping his distance. I believe that too, but I do know you. He talks about you all the time despite the fact that he doesn't talk to you directly."

"Oh, really? And let me guess; he talks about how I am being reckless? Or maybe about how ungrateful I am?"

Ever since James had walked in, Winn had been standing there, not knowing what to do, and he could see that the situation was quickly getting out of hand. He didn't want to interrupt, and he was trying to think of a way to interrupt when the door opened, and someone walked in.

He quickly moves to the newcomer, gesturing for them to wait as he goes to interrupt Kara and James before they say something they shouldn't, but James beat him to the punch.

"WELL YOU ARE! He has only tried to protect you, and all you do is throw it back in his face. Really, when will you grow up and stop acting like an entitled brat?"

Winn could see the furry in Kara's eyes at this, so he tried to interrupt, the newcomer just standing there watching. "Guys," Winn tried to interrupt.

Neither of them noticed, and Kara went off on James. "ENTITLED? YOU THINK I AM ENTITLED? You literally just said that you were entitled to my identity as Supergirl, and you have the nerve to call me entitled?"

Winn saw the newcomer's eyes widen at this and tried to interrupt again, but Kara and James were too absorbed in their fight.

Kara took a moment to stop and take a breath, but as soon as she did, James started talking again.

"Look, Kara." He is speaking a lot calmer now, trying to calm Kara down. "You don't know what you are doing. You need to take a step back and think about this. Clark and I, we know what is best for you." As it turns out, that was the complete wrong thing to say to Kara.

Before James can continue speaking, Kara interrupts. "Is that what you think?"

Winn was still trying to interrupt them to tell them that they were not alone any longer, but he is frozen now. Kara was no longer yelling and instead was eerily calm. The look in her eyes, however, was not. Her eyes were alight with fury, and he was beginning to worry that she would actually incinerate James.

"You think that you and Clark Fucking Kent, the almighty Superman, have the right to tell me what is best for me? To tell me what I can and can't do with my life?"

Finally, seeing the furry in Kara's eyes, which were beginning to flicker with hints of her heat vision, James tries to stop her before something happens. "That's not what I…"

"I AM STILL SPEAKING MR. OLSEN!" Taking another step towards James, she falls back into her quiet yelling. "Now, as I was saying, what makes you think that you have…"

Deciding to interrupt before Kara threw James out the window, Winn finally raises his voice. "GUYS!" he shouts, relieved when they finally look over at him, their eyes widening when they see who is standing next to him.

"We have a guest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, any guesses as to who walked in?


	11. Chapter 10: The Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy Lane appears and Kara gets a new house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there have been a few changes. The summary is now finalized and we have put a tentative length of 36 chapters, but that will almost certainly go up because we really like to split chapters in two as we are writing.
> 
> Shoutout to Domino_Raven, Harlan_Malkavian, and Vertez16 who guessed that it would be Lucy. Also, special mention to RatedRSS87 who gave us the idea to have Lucy slap James.

"We have a guest."

Both Kara and James just stood there, speechless, but for entirely different reasons. Kara was amazed that she had been so absorbed in her anger, while James was panicking because of who it was.

Neither of them seemed like they were going to speak any time soon, so the newcomer spoke for them.

"Well, when I came to National City to try and work on things with you, James, this is not what I expected to find. I came here intending to work things out with you because you called me, practically begging me to come here. Now I see that you breaking things off with me was the best thing that could ever happen to me."

Finally snapping out of his shock, James spoke up. "Lucy, I can…"

"You can what? Explain? There is no need to explain anything, James. You have made your character quite clear to me. God, how could I have been so blind to not realize that my own brother in law is Superman? Your behavior makes so much sense now. Well, I'm glad that I saw this before I accepted Cat's job yet."

"Lucy, just take a minute, please. We were good together. We can still be good together. Just give us a chance."

"No, James. The fact that you think you are entitled to Supergirl's identity when it is quite clear that she didn't tell you herself says quite a lot. Not to mention you obviously don't think she has the capability to think for herself," Lucy says while gesturing to Kara.

Kara couldn't help but smile at the rejection James was now getting from Lucy. She had heard of Lucy Lane, obviously, considering that she was her cousin in law, but she didn't know much about her besides her being a Major in the Army as well as a lawyer. She was about to speak up, but James just didn't know when to stop.

"Look, Lucy, you wouldn't understand. Just let qualified people make these decisions. She is just being rash, like all women, and letting her emotions get in the way. I…"

James was abruptly cut off by Lucy's sudden slap across his face. It was quite clear that she was now fuming.

"I think it is time for you to leave, James."

"But…"

"Get. Out."

Lucy was seething now, and James finally took the hint to leave before he actually got himself hurt. As he was about to step out of the room, however, he turned to make one last remark to Kara. "When all of this goes wrong, don't come crying to me or Clark." With that, he shut the door and walked away.

As soon as the door shut, Kara could see how Lucy visibly deflated and all but collapsed onto a plastic-wrapped chair.

"I'm a fool. I gave up everything to come here and work things out with him, and now I have nothing. No job, no home. Nothing."

Even though Kara could tell that Lucy wasn't really talking to either her or Winn, she couldn't help but comfort her. Walking over to her, she knelt down and put her hand gently on her back.

"What do you mean, Lucy? You still have the Army."

At this, Lucy let out a sob. "My father wouldn't grant my transfer to National City. He has always hated James, and now I know why. So when I couldn't transfer, I resigned my commission. I threw away my entire career for a love that I was so blinded by that I failed to see the truth behind it."

"What about the offer that Cat made you?"

"I can't take that now. If I had already accepted, I could file a complaint with HR, but…"

When Lucy trailed off, Kara continued. "What was the job, Lucy?"

"H...head of legal."

"Give me a moment." Kara quickly stepped out of the room and called Lena.

"Kara, am I late for the house tour?"

"No, I actually need a favor."

"Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I'm with Major Lucy Lane right now, and long story short, she just found out that she won't be able to accept the job that Cat offered her, and she can't go back to the Army because she resigned her commission. Also, she knows my secret."

"Kara, if you want to hire her, go ahead, you are the COO of LuthorCorp now. What position did Cat offer her anyway?"

"Head of legal."

"Get her resume, then. LuthorCorp is in need of a new head of legal, as our last one was involved with Lex's plans. How did she learn your secret?"

"She walked in on an argument between me and James Olsen, her ex. Apparently, Clark told James my secret, so we got into a fight."

"Can she be trusted?"

"Yes. I may not know her, but I have no doubt that she can be trusted."

"Then go ahead and offer her the job. We can talk with her about it more on Monday."

"If you don't mind, I was going to stop by with her today. She needs something to take her mind off of everything."

"Well, I will see you soon, then. Your security badge will be waiting for you at the front desk, so just bring her up to my office."

"Thank you, Lena."

"There is no need to thank me, Kara. You are the COO of this company, don't forget that. I'll talk to you soon."

After hanging up, she walked back into the room to see Winn awkwardly trying to comfort Lucy, who didn't seem much better.

"Let me guess, you went to make some calls to ensure that I won't reveal your secret," Lucy said while not even bothering to look at Kara.

Even though the comment was meant as a jab, Kara could tell that there wasn't any malice behind it, so she let it go.

"No, actually. I want to offer you a job."

At this, Lucy looked up. "What do you mean, offer me a job? I heard that you were Cat's assistant."

Kara couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Not anymore. As of yesterday, I'm the new COO of LuthorCorp, and just so happens that we are in need of a new head of legal."

"So what? You are just trying to buy my silence?" Lucy bit out.

Despite the obvious jab, Kara still comforted the woman. "Winn, would you mind going and getting us some water? Please?"

Winn nodded and quickly left the room.

Walking back over to Lucy, Kara knelt in front of her. "I'm not offering you this job to buy your silence, Lucy. I'm offering you this job because I see a smart young woman who just had her world turned upside down. Would I have preferred that you didn't learn my secret? Yes, I would have. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to hold it against you. James is an ass and he deserved everything that was said to him today. You, however, did not. I have no intention of letting you suffer because of the actions of a misogynistic ass. Besides, I have a feeling that we are going to be great friends."

"You really are something else, Supergirl. I knew from your interview that you were going to be different from your cousin. I never expected this, though."

"Cousin?" Kara asked, confused.

"Cat just published it today. You didn't know?"

"Oh. I just forgot that I mentioned that piece of information."

"Well, for what it is worth, you are much nicer than your cousin, both as Superman and Clark Kent. Huh, I guess that makes us family."

"I guess it does."

"So, COO of LuthorCorp. How did that happen?"

"Well, Cat found out about my CV and decided that I was underutilized at CatCo, so she got me an interview with Lena Luthor. I was supposed to be interviewing for the position of her Executive Assistant, but she decided that I was a better fit for the position of COO."

"That must be one hell of a CV," Lucy said with a chuckle.

Kara was glad to see Lucy smiling and was about to go and speak when Lucy threw her arms around her.

"Thank you, Kara. You have no idea how much this means to me. After that fight with James, I had no idea what I was going to do, so thank you." Pulling away, she couldn't help but ask another question. "What about Lena Luthor? Does she know that her new COO is Supergirl?"

"Yes, Lena knows who I am. I hadn't intended to tell her, but as soon as she offered me the position of COO, I knew that was going to have to. She was placing too much trust in me for anything else."

"And you trust her? I'm not going to judge her on her name, but after what her brother did…"

"Lena is not her brother. Just like you are not your father."

Lucy looked surprised at this, and Kara smiled.

"Yes, I know how bigoted your father is Lucy. I know how much he hates aliens, and if he had his way, I would be locked in a cage and turned in to nothing more than a glorified lab rat."

"You're not wrong about my father. I think Superman is mostly to blame for that, but still. Thank you for not lumping me in with him."

"One thing you will quickly learn about me is that I don't judge people based on their name. The person who taught me how to fight taught me this as well; Don't kill if you can wound. Don't wound if you can subdue. Don't subdue if you can pacify, and don't raise your hand until you've extended it first. I take these words very seriously."

It was then that Winn walked back into the room with two glasses of water. "Sorry I took so long, Kara. Here you go."

"Thank you, Winn," Kara said as she took the glasses from him, handing one to Lucy.

"So, since I figure you have nothing better to do today, we can go to LuthorCorp and hammer out the details of your employment."

"That sounds lovely, Kara. Thank you again for all of this."

"I'm sorry to rush out on you, but I'll talk to you later, Winn. Duty calls."

"It's fine, Kara. I imagine you will be quite busy now that you are the COO of LuthorCorp as well as Supergirl. Just call me when you can."

With a nod, Kara led Lucy out of the building to LuthorCorp.

As they were walking down the street, Kara got a call from Alex. She almost decided to ignore it but ended up answering it.

"Hey, Alex."

"Seriously, Kara? You had to mention your relation to your cousin in your interview? And before you get all pissy, I'm not mad at you. It's just, are you sure that was a good idea? He has a lot of enemies, and they will come after you now that they know you are related."

"Then let them come, Alex. They will quickly learn that I'm not to be messed with and that I'm in an entirely different league than he is."

"I just want to make sure you are safe, Kara. I know that things have been rough this past week, but I want my sister back. Hell, I'll resign from the agency if that is what it takes."

"I'm not going to ask you to resign, Alex. And I want our relationship to go back to the way it was as well. We have come so far these past five years, and I don't want to lose that. I miss my sister, but I will talk to you later, I have a meeting in a few minutes."

"Okay. Just be safe Kara. That is all I want. Also, you get to talk to mom about all of this."

"Shoot. I have been so busy lately that I completely forgot to call her. I will do that soon. Bye, Alex."

"Family drama?" Lucy asked as soon as Kara hung up.

"Yeah, my sister and I got into a fight over everything. She thinks it is a bad idea."

"Does she know about LuthorCorp?"

"Not yet. That is an entirely different can of worms that I want to talk about in person. She will find out soon enough since I need to move due to security concerns, so I will need to have that conversation soon."

"I can understand sister drama. Lois and I don't exactly see eye to eye, and now that I know who her husband is, I can only imagine it will get worse. How is your relationship with Lois? Seeing that she is your cousin in law, I mean."

"Lois and I have never actually met. Hell, I'm not even sure she knew I existed until last week. Clark and I have never been close. We have spoken four times in my entire life, and all four of those times involved a lot of yelling. I wouldn't be surprised if he never told her about me. Most of my knowledge about Lois comes from Cat Grant."

"I can only imagine what Cat says about my sister," Lucy said with a snort. "I may not talk to her much, but I definitely know about her love-hate relationship with Cat." Looking up, Lucy saw that they had arrived at the LuthorCorp building. "Well, this looks like our stop."

Kara smiled, and they both walked into the LuthorCorp lobby, where Kara immediately walked up to the receptionist, who she had come to learn was named Kelly.

"Hey, Kelly. Miss Luthor said that my security badge would be waiting for me."

Looking up, the receptionist recognized her almost instantly. "Oh, Miss Danvers. Of course, I have it right here. It seems that you got a slightly bigger job than Executive Assistant," she said as she handed her the badge.

"Yes, it came as quite a surprise to me, but I think it will be a good fit for me. I'll see you later, Kelly."

"Miss Danvers, your guest will need to go through security."

"There is no need, Kelly. I will be hiring her as our new head of legal, and we have a meeting with Miss Luthor."

"Of course, Miss Danvers. Have a wonderful day."

"You as well, Kelly," Kara said as she walked Lucy over to the elevator bank, and stepped into the private elevator for the top floor.

Once the elevator arrived, Kara led Lucy over to Lena's office and knocked.

"Come in."

Opening the door and walking into the office, Kara introduced Lucy to Lena. "Lena, this is Lucy Lane. She used to be a JAG lawyer in the Army."

"It's good to meet you, Major," Lena said, reaching out to shake Lucy's hand. "With the recent scandal regarding my brother and Kara's cousin, we are in need of a new head of legal. After Kara called me, I looked into your qualifications, and I agree with her. I think you would be a wonderful fit for LuthorCorp. If I may, though, why did you resign your commission?"

Taking a seat next to Kara, Lucy began speaking, "Well, you see…"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Almost an hour later, Kara and Lucy had finished telling Lena the events that had led them to their current position.

"I can certainly see how Mr. Olsen's behavior would deter you from working at CatCo, Major Lane."

"It's just Miss Lane or even Lucy now. I am no longer a Major, Miss Luthor."

"Well, I like Major Lane. It has a nice ring to it. If it bothers you, however, I won't use it."

"It doesn't bother me at all, Miss Luthor. But please, call me Lucy."

"Then you must call me Lena."

"Of course, Lena."

"Well, I'm glad that Kara managed to snatch you up. I already have your contract drawn up. It is the same one that our last head of legal had, with a few additions to account for your extra qualifications," Lena said as she handed it over to Lucy.

Quickly reading through it, Lucy signed the contract and handed it back to Lena.

"Well, since that is settled, I will see you on Monday, Lucy. Kara and I had a prior engagement regarding her housing issue that we need to attend."

Standing up, Lucy shook Lena's hand and then turned to Kara. "Thank you again for this, Kara. Really, I would have been screwed without your help."

"Of course, Lucy. Maybe once everything settles, we can all have a girl's night."

"I would really like that. Well, I'll let you and Lena go for your house tour. I need to get some things situated for my move here."

With that, Lucy left the office, leaving Kara and Lena alone.

"So, are you ready to see your new home, Kara?"

"You have no idea."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Less than an hour later, Kara and Lena had arrived at the Solarium complex.

Looking up at the complex, Kara couldn't help but be amazed. Her life had changed so much in the past week, and she was struggling to keep up. She had gone from the nobody assistant to Cat Grant to Supergirl and the COO of LuthorCorp in a matter of days.

"Seriously, Lena? You are offering for me to live here?"

"Yes? Is that an issue?"

"Isn't it a bit much? I haven't even seen the apartment yet, and I can already tell that it is going to be overly extravagant."

"It's not that extravagant. Besides, this complex is used to fielding unique security concerns and takes privacy very seriously. If you continue living in your current apartment, you will have reporters knocking at your door within an hour of the public finding out you are LuthorCorp's new COO."

"I guess you are right. Speaking of reporters wanting to talk to me, Cat wants an exclusive with both of us."

"Does she now?"

"Yes, and I think we should give it to her as soon as possible, considering James Olsen heard where I was working. It is only a matter of time before he tells my cousin."

"Well, that can certainly be arranged. I am free Monday at 3, so why don't you text her and see about setting that up."

"Thank you, Lena. I know I don't work for her anymore, but Cat can be scary sometimes. Especially when she smells a story."

"I can imagine. I've had to deal with her a few times. While she is persistent, she is at least respectful. That is more than I can say for any other journalist."

"You're not wrong. She certainly knows when to withhold a story." Quickly sending Cat a text, Kara let her know that she and Lena would be available for an interview. Almost as soon as she sent the text, she got a response, and she had to bite back a snort.

"What is so funny?"

"Cat. She says that we owe her multiple interviews for stealing her head of legal."

"Does she not know about James?"

"No, and besides, there isn't much she could do. Neither Lucy or I were employees of CatCo, and revealing that argument risks exposing me. Plus, if James gets fired because of me, I will have to deal with my cousin. While he isn't a threat, he can be a nuisance, and I don't want that headache right now."

By this point, the private elevator, because of course, she would have her own private elevator, had arrived at the penthouse suite. As soon as the doors opened, Kara was speechless. They were only in the foyer, but even that was insane. Lena, however, didn't notice the shock on Kara's face and continued on into the main living room of the penthouse, Kara following behind her, still in shock.

The living room was massive, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking National City Park and dual fireplaces. The doors and flooring were made of Bubinga wood, and the beams and moldings were made of Padauk wood. 

"You said it wasn't that extravagant," Kara said, finally regaining her ability to speak.

Looking back at Kara, Lena couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I only provide the best for my employees. Not to mention, I think the privacy boost will be a huge benefit for Supergirl."

"I mean, you're not wrong, but still. Isn't this a little excessive?"

"I guess it could be considered excessive," Lena said sheepishly. "But still, I will feel much better knowing you have proper privacy. This apartment is fully wired for technology including central A/C and heating zones, home automation, touch panels in every room which manage lighting, temperature, and electronic window shades, as well as a custom security system. Actually, everything is custom. I designed all of it myself."

"You don't do anything halfway, do you?" Kara asked chuckling.

"Not even in the slightest," Lena said with a smirk. "Shall we continue the tour?"

"By all means," Kara says, gesturing to the room, "lead the way."

"Excellent. Follow me then."

The next thing they encountered was a wood-paneled corner den with another fireplace. Right beside that, there was a dramatic dining room with beautiful marble floors, textured skin walls, and far-reaching views of the City and National City Park. The professional chef's kitchen had a center island with a sink and gas cooktop, top-of-the-line appliances, Alba Chiara marble countertops, and custom sycamore cabinetry by Poliform. 

Then, there was a cozy breakfast area right off the kitchen, leading into a media room that had a view overlooking the Pacific Ocean and National City Bay. There was also a staff room with an ensuite bath located on this side of the penthouse. 

As they walked back through the apartment, they went to the other side of the living room, where there was a library with hide upholstered walls and yet another fireplace. Next to the library is the corner master bedroom suite. There were two separate marble bathrooms and two dressing rooms with exquisite custom cabinetry providing generous storage attached to the suite. Continuing past the master suite to the western wing were four more bedrooms with ensuite baths, although one of the bedrooms was converted into a home gym.

"So, Lena, is there anything else I should see?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked, Kara. We still have three more floors to go. Two of those are dedicated to the private lab, though. Oh, and there is also a rooftop terrace as well as a private helipad."

"What is even on the second floor?"

A swimming pool, three more bedrooms, and a private screening room."

"I don't even know what to say anymore. There is no possible way that I could afford this, Lena. Even with the obscene amount of money you are paying me."

"I own the building, Kara. It costs what I say it costs. Besides, with the advancements you are sure to bring LuthorCorp it will work out just fine. Now, are you ready to see the private lab?"

"Oh, you have no…"

Lena watched as Kara suddenly got a far off look, tilting her head as she obviously heard something that she couldn't.

"Go, Kara. Be a hero. I am sure you can figure out the lab on your own."

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you later. Dinner on me?"

"I would like that, Kara."

"I will call you when I am finished then. Perhaps, we could do takeout here?"

"That sounds lovely. Now get going, Supergirl."

With that, Kara quickly changed and shot out of the apartment, headed towards the freeway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we were lazy and did not want to write the description for Kara's house so we stole one from Zillow. We are absolutely not ashamed of this because it worked out so much better. Besides, it is public anyways.
> 
> Here is the link to Kara's house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/25-Columbus-Cir-New-York-NY-10019/63867633_zpid/?


	12. Chapter 11: The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reactron, and Superman being an ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a lot longer than we wanted it too, but we hope the wait was worth it. Enjoy 10,002 words of awesome. WHICH MEANS WE BROKE 50,000 WORDS! Holy shit this story blew up.

Kara arrived at the freeway to absolute chaos. It was a multi-car pileup that included a semi-truck as well as a bus. She could tell that emergency responders hadn't been expecting her to show up, but they were immediately grateful. Also, the crowd of people that had formed on the side of the freeway quickly pulled out their phones to begin filming her, but she paid them no mind. She imagined that in a different life, one where she hadn't been trained, that this would be quite daunting. But she had been trained, so she immediately began scanning the vehicles, looking for trapped victims.

She was working her way through the pileup, removing victims and clearing the road when she heard a woman scream for help. Her head instantly snapped up, her vision going right to the bus where she saw the driver was pinned by the steering column. She quickly launched herself into the vehicle and removed the driver quickly and efficiently.

After setting the driver on a stretcher, she did a quick x-ray of her body and noticed that her leg was injured, which she relayed to the paramedics. "Her right femur is fractured, and a small shard of bone has put a minor tear in her femoral artery. It's not life-threatening at the moment, but she needs immediate surgery."

"Thank you, Supergirl. This would have been so much more difficult without you."

"You're welc…"

Kara was cut off as a blast of energy knocked her off her feet, throwing her back into the bus. Quickly getting to her feet, she looked up to see a man in a strange suit floating down to the ground.

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a ghost."

"What do you want?"

"I want the Man of Steel to suffer. I want him to know what it feels like to lose everything… Starting with you."

Kara had a rough idea that this man was Reactron based on his appearance, and she figured that since he could never beat her cousin, he was going after her instead. However, she didn't have much time to think as he threw another blast of energy at her.

Ducking out of the way, she couldn't help but smirk. If he thought that she was going to be a pushover, he was in for one hell of a surprise. She quickly rushed him, deflecting blast after blast, until he was backed up against a wall. Reactron, for his part, realized that the fight was not going in his favor, and he quickly changed tactics.

Instead of trying to blast her again, he targeted the overturned semi-truck, causing the fuel surrounding it to ignite, and Kara could see that the fire was going to endanger the people around it if she didn't put it out. Therefore, she pushed Reactron away and moved to take care of the fire, but by the time she turned back around, he was gone.

Moving back over to the people on the side of the road, she began checking to make sure everyone was alright when a reporter ran up to her.

"Supergirl! Christina Negun for CatCo news. Why did you let the villain escape?"

"I let him escape because after he ignited the fire, civilians were in danger. While I am not happy that he got away, I will never risk the life of an innocent person just to catch the bad guy."

"Do you have any idea who he is?

"I believe he is the villain known as Reactron, who has fought my cousin to a standstill on multiple occasions."

"You seemed to be handling yourself quite well out there. Any comment on that?"

"No. I will say this, however. I believe that Reactron came here because he thought I would be a pushover. Since he could never beat my cousin, he came after me instead. I want people to understand that I will not tolerate this. If they want to come after me, that's fine, but if they are going to endanger civilians in the process or damage city property, they will get a very rude awakening. In this last year alone, Metropolis has suffered over $600 million in damages from Superman-related activities. I will not allow that to happen here. That will be all."

"Well, thank you for your time, Supergirl. I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that National City is glad to have you. Good luck."

With a nod and a smile, Kara shot off into the sky, calling Lena as she flew.

_ "Well, someone is making quite the splash. Were you trying to antagonize your cousin, because it sounds like you did a decent job." _

"What do you mean?"

_ "I mean your interview. It was broadcasted live." _

"Oh, I may have been, just a little."

_ "Well, it was great. Oh to be a fly on the wall when he sees it." _

"I imagine that it will look similar to a child throwing a temper tantrum."

_ "Yes, well, that's a problem for another day."  _

Mid-air, Kara thinks of a brilliant idea. She contemplates for only a second before she asks. 

"Lena?"

_ "Yes?"  _

"Would you like to help me out on something? I promise it's not really that time-consuming cause I'm sure you'd figure it out pretty quickly." She knew that she could do this herself with her fortress, but she would rather involve Lena. While it would take more time, Kara was not about to pass up an opportunity to spend time with Lena. They had only known each other for around a week, but she felt a pull towards the raven-haired woman, and she hoped that Lena was feeling it as well.

_ "Of course, name it, and I'll get started." _

"Since I know you just watched me live, I'm sure you also saw who I was fighting, right?"

_ "Right, go on." _

"I was wondering if you could help me build a device that can track him."

_ "I would love to, but I need to know what I am trying to track." _

"It is a demon core. I don't know how he obtained one, but that is what it was."

_ "And you were able to tell this from that short fight?" _

"I… I mean," all of a sudden, Kara couldn't help but feel insecure about the fact that she knew what was powering Reactron's suit.

_ "Well?"  _ At this point, Kara's just floating mid-air like a distracted balloon. She knew that Lena was teasing her, but she couldn't help but get flustered.

"I... I do have a degree in nuclear engineering, and this is the first time it was actually useful." Noticing her awkward floating, she quickly gets back to her flying while continuing to talk.

_ "Relax, Kara. I can see the flush on your face, and I'm not even there. I was just teasing you. Your degrees are why I hired you." _

"Right, yeah, of course. Anyways, tracking a demon core via its radiation signature shouldn't be too hard with access to the right equipment."

_ "Well, this sounds like a good time for you to try out your new lab." _

"What? But we just toured the house. I haven't even set it up yet."

_ "You do realize who you're talking to, right? Of course, I already set it up, so there's no need to delay any genius ideas."  _ Shocked, Kara just narrowly misses a bird and composes herself again. Lena Luthor is just full of surprises.

_ "Did I just hear a bird? Kara, are you flying and talking on the phone at the same time?" _

"Maybe... I know California is a hands-free state, but it's not like I can get pulled over."

_ "Yes, just please don't crash into any buildings." _

"I promise, there will be no Supergirl shaped holes in buildings," Kara said, chuckling. "So, you set up my lab already?"

_ "Yep, it has everything you could possibly need and more." _

"Rao! The house was one thing, but this takes the cake? Also, when you say it's set up with everything, do you mean…"

_ "I mean everything, Kara. It's a carbon copy of the lab I have at my house, although I imagine that you will upgrade it quite a bit." _

"Rao! Okay, yes, my lab tonight it is. I'm sure I'm keeping you from some meeting or another, so I'll get back to you later. I'm going to see if I can get any more information on Reactron." 

_ "See that you do, Ms. Danvers." _ The blonde barely registers the words as she focuses more on the way it's said instead. A deeper tone she's never heard her use before, and she's somehow stumbling mid-air again. Before she could respond, however, Lena had hung up.

Pausing, she tucked her phone away in a secret pocket and flies that much faster to Winn. Knowing his obsession with Superman, she has no doubt that he has detailed notes on any and every public fight Superman has ever had with Reactron. She doesn't just want to beat him, she wants to know why he's the way he is and if there is any way he could be redeemed. While it's a long shot, she still feels the need to try.

She finally reaches Winn's apartment and knocks gently on his window. She sees him jump at the sound, and she fails to hide her amused grin as he glares at her. Finally, he opens the window and gestures for her to get in quickly while looking around, paranoid of anyone seeing her there. 

"Kara! I have a door, you know?!"

"Well, when you can fly, windows and doors become one and the same," she says, laughing as she goes and sits on his couch.

"Har har har, very funny. Just give a guy a little warning next time because you nearly gave me a heart attack. I assume this isn't a social call since you are still in your suit."

"You assume correctly, and I promise I'll call next time. I know how big of a fan you are of Superman, so I would like to know what information you have on Reactron. I figure that is something you would know about." 

"You assume correctly," he said in a joking tone. "I do have some info that you might find useful, but it's not much. No one knows who he is and why he hates Superman so much, but I do have notes on fights and stuff."

"That will do, I suppose. Anything really, I just want to get ahead on this quickly before any more accidents like today happen."

"Okay then! Give me a minute to find those journals; they should be here somewhere." Nodding, Kara got comfortable on his couch and looked around, admiring his very extensive collection of comic books. 

It only takes Winn a couple minutes to find the journals, and he's back to her in no time. It's only two of them, but for Kara, that's enough. 

"Hey, do you think you can dig a little deeper into Reactron? Like try and see when he came out and what events happened around the same time? Something like that."

"You got it, boss!" Chuckling, Kara gets up and walks back towards the window. 

"You know I paid a lot of money for this apartment, and one of my favorite features just so happens to be this beautiful purple door." He dramatically gestures towards the front door, all while Kara still walks backwards towards the window. 

"And what do you think your neighbors will say when they see Supergirl exiting your apartment, hmm?" 

"Mrs. Benson is blind and older than Betty White, I doubt she'll pop out and see you."

"And what of the rest of the people in your building? The main lobby? Someone will see me."

"You make a fair point, don't let the birds hit you on the way out." 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara had been home for almost half an hour now, trying to calm her racing heart. Lena was on her way there now, which wouldn't be such a big deal if just being in her presence didn't make her palms sweat, but they do. She's never been this nervous before, and she's not used to it. This was just two co-workers working on a tracking device to find the enemy of the week, not some date. Well, a date wouldn't be so bad, but would Lena think that too? She's still pacing the floor when a knock on her door catches her off-guard.

She holds a hand to her heart and uses her X-ray vision to see who it is, and she startles when she sees Lena behind the door. She quickly makes her way to the door and opens it and beams at her. Lena smiles back and walks in, shrugging off her long coat. Kara takes it from her and hangs it up in her closet.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" 

"No, I'm good, thanks."

"Alright, well, let's get to work now, shall we." She's just about to lead them to a room when she stops mid-step and looks at Lena.

"Where's the lab?" Laughing, Lena turns and walks back towards the closet, where she had just hung her coat and opens it up for Kara to walk through.

"Don't worry, I'll lead." Amused, she walks past her and stands in the half-empty closet. 

Lena closes the door and reaches behind Kara, almost getting a little too close for it to be professional, but neither comment on it and the lights suddenly go out.

"You know if you just wanted to play seven minutes in heaven, all you had to do was ask." Raising her brow at Kara, Lena simply stays quiet as the floor below them suddenly starts to move down slowly. Shocked at the closet elevator, the blonde steps back and away from Lena as she looks below them and around trying to evaluate just how they're moving now.

"There are so many gay jokes I could say about this right now, oh my Rao." She whispers this to herself, but by the look she's getting from Lena, she hadn't been quiet enough.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Kar said as she felt her face flushing.

"Anyway, there are two levels to this. One is for technology, and the other is a chemical lab. Thought it'd be smart to separate the two to be safe." Kara nods in understanding, and she looks at the sudden elevator doors opening in front of her and grins at the shiny new tech around her.

"Oh, wow...this is amazing!" She's zooming from gadget to gadget faster than Lena can keep up with, all while the raven-haired woman stays standing admiring her work.

A large wall of computers makes up most of the wall to Lene's right, all displaying L-Corp's new logo. Kara finally stops her zooming right in front of the wall and freezes.

"This the new name and logo you're going for?" Finally, moving from her spot, she walks slowly towards Kara, all while staring at the wall too.

"Yes, what do you think?"

"I think it fits, and it's a nice logo as well. But you know, professional opinions aside, I think it's funny the new name is going to L-Corp."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because El is my birth name, only it's spelled e l." 

"Hmm, it is, isn't it? Well then, let's continue on with the tour of the rest of your lab, and we'll get back here and get started."

After they get back from touring the chemical lab, they take out a whiteboard and start planning. Papers and comprehensive blueprints span all over the first table to the point where they had to move to another. Kara knows intellectually that they don't need to be so close to each other while drawing up plans. Still, she's also not going to stop Lena from leaning into her when another great idea comes to mind, and she needs to reach around her for a piece of paper to write it down. 

"You mentioned that it's a demon core that he's got to his chest powering him, right?" 

"Yes, I'm not sure how he got it, but I recognized the energy surrounding it."

"So, all we need to do is use some kind of glorified geiger counter to track it down?"

"Yes, but that would take too long, and we don't have a lot of time. Besides, his demon core gives off unique radioactive signatures. We could always build something that will scan the city in its entirety, but that will also take a lot of time…"

"What about a satellite?"

"Yes yes, that would work. Still, though, I don't think we have the kind of time to make an entire satellite."

"I have one already, oh god, of course! Like you said, the demon core releases a unique radioactive signature that would be rather easy to detect if we knew where to look. So what better way to use my big expensive satellite then to program it to do just that, but over the entirety of National City!"

"You have an entire satellite you're willing to reprogram just to track this guy down?"

"What else am I going to do with it? It's just an overly expensive satellite my brother built to try and track Superman down for whatever reason." They're quiet for a moment before Lena abruptly sits up, walks over to the wall of computers, and picks up a tablet to work on. 

"Lena?"

"Of course, why didn't we think of it sooner." In a flash, Lena has the schematics of the satellite up on a computer and starts to change its trajectory to National City instead of Metropolis. 

"It'll take a while for the satellite to recalibrate itself, but by the time it's done, I'm sure we can finish the tracing program, right?"

"I bet we can have it done even before that happens." Smiling at her, she turns back around towards the computer and goes to the files and is just about to delete them.

"Wait wait wait, back up, what was that?"

"What?" 

"You said your brother has had this satellite tracking him? Has he also been tracking his secret identity?"

"Yes, I believe, so why?'

"Then why was the almighty Superman at the lab Lex got arrested at before the case was even opened?" Confused, Lena slowly looks back at the footage and notices the timestamp on one of them.

"What?" She goes to press play before she feels a hand cover hers.

"Wait, before you press play save all of this and back it up just in case. I want to know what this bastard has been doing all these years."

"Yeah, of course. It'll take a couple hours though, it's a lot of footage. Years worth of it actually."

"That works in our favor anyway, while it saves, let's watch any fights Superman has had with Reactron. I have the dates here, give me a minute."

Kara quickly goes to their table again and picks up the journals Winn had given her and passes them to Lena, who then scrolls and finds the date and time of the first fight and presses play. It's a minute later after finishing the footage they could find of him and Reactron. 

"Interesting." 

"Yes indeed, did you see the burns on his face? They looked fairly recent."

"Yes, exactly that's what I was just about to point out." She smiles at Lena and goes to get a little closer when the shrill sound of her phone ringing snaps her out of whatever she was about to do. She takes her phone out of her pocket and picks it up before even checking who it was.

"Hello?"

_ "Kara! Hey, so I did what you asked and looked into any accidents that may have happened around the time of Reactron's first appearance and get this, in 2010 there was a terrorist organization attempting to start a meltdown at a power station called Bakerline Nuclear Power Station. Two people were caught in the accident. A woman named Alyssa Krull died of radiation exposure, and her husband was presumed dead as well, but no one ever found the body. I'm sending you a picture now." _

"What's so interesting about this one accident that stood out to you, Winn?"

_ "I know it could be a coincidence and all, but Superman was there. He was the reason it wasn't an even bigger catastrophe. That could explain the anger Reactron feels towards Superman and why he was willing to attack you to get to him. The fact that this power plant was also working with the demon core he's got in his chest is too big of a coincidence to let slide." _

"That's perfect, Winn, thank you."

_ "Your welcome, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you. You know where to find me!"  _ With that, he hung up, and Kara's left standing there grinning at Lena.

"Just found out the real identity of Reactron, so now we can get started on the reprogramming. How much time is left for the files to be backed up?"

"Uh, only about two, maybe three hours, I'm not sure. Some of these videos are longer than others. Think we can wrap it up here soon enough."

"I'll order some food then, I'm starving!"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the food arrived, both Kara and Lena were sitting in Kara's living room, enjoying each other's company. Kara still couldn't believe that Lena was sitting here with her, and she hoped that she could turn this into something more.

"You're staring."

Kara jumped, not realizing that she had gotten so lost in her thoughts.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"That's fine. Mind telling me what you were thinking about? You looked a little dazed."

Even though she knew she had been caught, Kara wasn't quite sure what to do. She knew that she was attracted to Lena, and the fact that she knew about Supergirl didn't help matters. So few people knew about her Kryptonian heritage, which made dating difficult, considering she could never fully open up with people.

She had her fair share of escapades in her past, considering her time spent on Themyscira, but those were just for fun. She had never been looking for anything more than pleasure, but now? Looking at Lena, she felt like she could get lost in her eyes, and all she wanted to do was kiss her.

Making up her mind, she decided to bite the bullet. "I was thinking about you." Kara could feel her face flushing, but there was no going back.

"Oh? What about me?"

"I know we just met, but I can't help but feel something forming between us, and I would like to explore it further."

Seeing Lena sigh, Kara felt her heart plummet. "If things were different, I would like that as well."

"What do you mean if things were different?" Lena hadn't outright rejected her, so Kara was still clinging on to hope.

"I just hired you as my new COO, Kara. Don't get me wrong, you are funny and sweet and kind and oh so beautiful, but if we were to start dating, just think how things would look to the Board. Maybe things will be different, eventually, but for now, we need to keep things professional. I would really like to be friends with you, and I hope this doesn't affect things, but if it does, I understand."

"I promise, this won't change the friendship that we have started building," Kara said as a grin filled her face. "Besides, you didn't say no for the future, just for right now, and any relationship that we could potentially enter into will be that much stronger if we have a good friendship to back it up."

"Well, I am glad you understand," Lena said with a smile.

With that topic out of the way, they both finished their food while Lena asked Kara about her past. Kara told her anything she wanted to know, and she was glad that her confession hadn't ruined what they had been building between them.

Almost an hour had passed when an alarm went off on Lena's phone. They both pause in their conversation and freeze. 

"Is it done backing up?"

Lena gets up from where she is and picks her phone up.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Great, right in time too. The program is just...about...done!" 

They both quickly got up and made their way towards the closet door. A few awkward seconds later, they find themselves in the lab again and see the flashing complete sign on the computer wall.

"Go ahead and plug that in, and we'll have the tracker up and running. The scan shouldn't take more than a few minutes considering the scale of it all." Nodding, Kara plugs it in and stands back as she looks between Lena and the computer wall. They can only watch as a loading screen appears and zooms across the screens. Almost immediately, the satellite found a location.

"He's in a warehouse at the edge of the city, we're lucky he didn't just skip town or else it wouldn't have picked him up." Nodding seriously, Kara quickly changed into her super suit and put on her image inducer before moving back to the elevator.

"Hey, Kara?" Stopping right as she was about to press the button for the elevator, she looked up towards Lena.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, would you?" Smiling, Kara nods and presses the button. Just before the door closes, she jokingly salutes Lena making her laugh. She cringed as soon as the doors closed and shook her head for a minute before she bolted out of the closet doors and towards the big open balcony doors. 

She floats on the top of her building and takes out a small device from her pocket and puts it in her ear. 

"Can you hear me?" She presses a finger to the hearing device.

_ "Yes, I can hear you just fine."  _

"Okay, good, and my location is good too?"

_ "You know, you designed this yourself, I think you know it works just fine. Head north from there, though." _

"Never hurts to have a second opinion! You're right, though, north it is."

Quickly and without any issue, Kara finds the warehouse and scans it herself before she dives in towards the first door she sees. She uses her superstrength to open it and welds it back together once she gets inside. She does another scan and sees he's just crouched over a table with what seems to be city plans.

"To think Superman has had such an issue with you. You don't look like that much of a threat." Startled, Reactron jumps and shoots a cluster of beams at her.

Slightly annoyed by his antics, she couldn't help but antagonize him. "Is that all you've got?"

Angered, he charged her and managed to tackle her down. However, his false sense of victory was short-lived as Kara managed to kick him up with her leg and shoots him over her head and onto his back. He grunts and rolls over to try and tackle her again only for Kara to fly up into the air this time. She shakes her head in mock-disappointment.

"Got to say, you're not all that impressive." Even angrier now, he pauses, and his chest glows a nasty shade of red before he takes a sharp step forward, and an intense beam shot towards her. Dodging the blast, she quickly flew towards him, kicking his feet out from under him, leading to him falling on his back and for the beam to shut down.

Dodging punch after punch, she drew the fight out a little bit, just toying with him as well as tiring him out. Finally, deciding the battle had gone on long enough, she grabbed his arm and drew him up close. Just as she was about to flip him again, she heard the distinct sound of a cape fluttering in the wind, and before she can react, Superman is tackling both her and Reactron. He had crashed in from the roof landing right on top of them, causing her to lose her hold on Reactron. The tackle was hard and had actually knocked the wind out of her lungs. When she looked up, she was shocked to see a beam being shot right to her as Reactron had recovered enough to set up his beam. 

She quickly covered her face and let out a grunt as she was shot through wall after wall, only to land outside of the warehouse in an empty parking lot.

"Rao, that is much stronger than I was expecting." She shook herself off and looked up, only to see Superman flung off into the sky as he was also hit with the blast. She follows his fall and sees he's landed much too close to a bus filled with city workers. 

"Shit." She dusted herself off and flew towards him before Reactron could get up from the floor as the force of the continuous blasts had landed him on his back again.

She landed roughly right next to a groaning Superman, completely ignoring him to check on the bus that stopped on the side of the road to see what all the commotion was about.

"Please get back on the bus! It is not safe for you right now," she says, quickly directing the crowd back into the bus.

"SUPERMAN!" Reactron lands so rough on the pavement, leaving a small crater in his wake.

Kara groans as Superman is hit yet again with another blast to his chest, throwing him even closer to the city. Before Reactron could fly towards him, though, she super-speeds behind him and grabs the back of his suit and yanks him out of his jumping stance. Shocked, as if he'd forgotten about her even being there, he looked at her then at the retreating figure of a blasted Superman in the sky. Coming to a decision, he shot a small beam towards the bus and jumped away to avoid having to fight two Supers instead of one. 

Kara glares at his retreated figure and speeds towards the bus that caught fire and manages to get everyone back out and to a safe distance. Groaning, a headache starts to form as she clicks the earpiece again to get ahold of Lena.

_ "What just happened, Kara?" _

"My idiot of a cousin showed up just as I was about to wrap things up and ruined everything!" The people she had just saved looked at her, shocked by how she talked about her cousin, whispering amongst themselves.

"Can you tell me where he landed?" 

_ "Not far actually, just three miles south."  _

"Got it, thanks." She glances at the people again before nodding and shooting off towards him. As she's flying, she can tell exactly where he had landed as his crash landing had left a trail following him. He's just getting up, dusting the dirt off him when he looks up to see an angry Kara. 

He'd landed in the middle of a very obviously packed public park, and just looking around the park, she can tell it's going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of repairs. She stalks towards him and jabs him in the chest. 

"What the hell were you thinking!? Why the hell did you burst into the room-"

"He had you in a grip! You obviously needed help!"

"Do not interrupt me! I had  _ him _ in a grip, I was so close to capturing him and turning him in! You ruined a perfectly successful mission for what, your pride?" 

"You don't know him like I do, he was going to get the upper-hand again somehow. You saw those beams and how powerful they are! What did you expect me to do?"

"Nothing! You were never a part of this mission for this very reason! You are reckless, and an expensive liability to have around. Look around you, do you think you did a good job here? Not only did he get away, but you also caused unnecessary damage to the city park! This isn't the time for your prideful ego." He glared at her and continued to dust off the dirt off his cape before actually looking around him for a moment. He winced at the dirt trail he had left on his landing.

"It's fine okay? We'll get him next time-"

"There is no we in this equation. You will keep your ass in Metropolis and take care of your own city! I've been doing just fine on my own, and I do not need a nuisance following me around and creating disaster after disaster everywhere they go."

"This is  _ my  _ villain here! You can't just expect me to leave him here."

"Well, then you should have captured him when you had the chance!"

"You don't get to just order me around!"

She gets up real close to him this time and whispers.

"Actually, I can. I have told you time and time again, I am the head of the House of El, not you. If you wish to help me, then learn how to properly control your powers and how to actually throw a punch because if you continue to get in my way, I will make you regret it. Do I make myself clear?" Grunting, he looks around him again and sees the cameras pointing at them and the crowd of people frowning at him, shaking their heads.

"Crystal." With that, he backs up and shoots off. Sighing, Kara turns and finally notices the crowd around her. 

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry you all had to see that. I'll see to it that this park is cleaned up and restored. As I said earlier today and again now, I do not approve of my cousin's reckless tendencies and the damage he leaves behind without a care in the world. I apologize for any inconvenience." With that, she shot into the air, still furious about her cousin's interference.

In the sky, she can just make out the complaining civilians she had just left behind and clicks her earpiece on again.

"Hey, Lena, are you still there?"

_ "Never left, you really didn't hold any punches with him, huh?"  _

"Would you have?"

_ "Not at all." _

"I need you to see if you can track him again."

_ "I think we should try and see if we can fix what your cousin broke and go at it again with Reactron later. I'm sure you're aware of how much damage the park and the roads suffered and how much time and money it'll take for the city to fix it. We can always set an example and show the citizens of National City you're not another destructive Super." _

"I like the way you think. Besides, I don't think that idiot of a cousin of mine listened to anything I said and is hiding out somewhere looking for Reactron. How did he even find him just now anyway?"

_ "Your guess is as good as mine." _

"Well, that's unimportant right now. I'll patrol for a couple hours and head to bed soon. We've got that interview with Cat tomorrow."

_ "Don't remind me." _

"Haha, she won't be that bad, I promise. We'll walk in, and it'll be over before you know it."

_ "Whatever you say. I'll leave you to it then, I'm going to answer a couple emails I've put off for long enough." _

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

_ "Tomorrow it is." _

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning after getting ready, Kara met Lena at CatCo. After saying their hellos, they both made their way into the building, ignoring the stares that people were giving them. Whether it was because of Lena Luthor walking into CatCo, or because they recognized Kara and were surprised at her appearance and company was unknown. Either way, Kara didn't pay them any mind. They were here for a reason, and she had no intention of getting distracted.

After the doors to Cat's private elevator closed, Lena spoke. "So, what should I expect from Cat? I normally avoid reporters like the plague."

"You can expect her to be harsh but fair. She doesn't pull her punches, but she won't be super invasive either. She told me that this interview would be about LuthorCorp and me being the new COO, and I trust her to stay true to that. I have no doubt that there will be some questions about Lex thrown in, but I expect they will relate to the company."

"Well, that is good to know. I have heard stories about Cat Grant, but seeing as you managed to survive as her assistant for five years, I will trust your judgement."

"Well, if I were her, I would want this to go as well as possible. I would want to get the most elusive CEO ever as a source. She won't be trying to piss you off."

"I would hope not."

Before anything else could be said, the elevator dinged, and they walked out into the bullpen. The effect was immediate. With everyone not being used to Cat's private elevator opening while Cat was in her office, all eyes were instantly on them. Then people noticed who it was walking out of the elevator.

Kara could tell by the small gasps that people were letting out, no one was expecting Lena Luthor and former assistant Kara Danvers. Kara caught sight of James glaring at them from across the room, and she couldn't resist smirking at him as Cat's newest assistant ushered them into her office.

"Ms. Luthor, Ms. Danvers. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Is there anything I get either of you to drink?"

"Yes, Macallan 30 if you have it," Lena said.

"And for you, Ms. Danvers?"

"I'll have the same."

Cat raised her eyebrow at this. "Well, aren't you just full of surprises, Ms. Danvers?"

"When I was your assistant, I had to keep things much more professional, and please, call me Kara. We have known each other for over five years now."

As Cat's assistant handed the drinks over to Kara and Lena, they both sat down and waited on Cat.

After shooing the assistant out of the office, Cat sat down across from Kara and Lena and got straight to business, setting her recorder in front of her.

"Ms. Luthor, the first topic I would like to discuss is the new direction that LuthorCorp has been taking since the arrest of your brother. Would you be able to expand on that some more?

"Yes. Before Lex was arrested, LuthorCorp's primary focus was on weapons development. Now though, I am directing the company away from that and focusing heavily on medical advancements as well as the environment. I don't want to stay in the shadow that my brother left behind. Instead, I want to turn LuthorCorp into something new."

"While that is a very noble idea, what about Supergirl?"

"What about her?"

"While she hasn't been around long, she is already making waves. After Superman put your brother in jail, what are your feelings towards Supergirl?"

"I can assure you, Miss Grant, I mean no harm to Supergirl. In fact, I would love the opportunity to work with her in the future. I understand why Superman had to help put my brother behind bars, and I bear no ill will towards his cousin for that. Just like I am nothing like my brother, from what I can see, Supergirl is nothing like her cousin, and I look forward to meeting her."

"Well, I am sure the public will be relieved to hear that. My next point is your new COO, who is my former assistant. When I sent her to LuthorCorp, it was with the intention of her applying for your EA position. Yet here she is as your new COO."

"Well, her CV speaks for herself. I won't get into the specifics of it, as there are too many degrees to count, it was very impressive. If people are interested in it, it will be available through LuthorCorp's website. That is why I hired her as LuthorCorps COO, that and she survived as your assistant for over five years. The Board fully approved of this decision."

"Her CV certainly is impressive. Kara, what do you have to say on all of this? Executive assistant for Cat Grant to COO of LuthorCorp is quite the jump. Do you think you will be able to handle the stress?

"Well, I did survive as your assistant for five years, after all. In that time, I learned a lot about how a company is run. As for the stress, I think I can handle that just fine. Some of your former assistants have been known to leave the country after only a week working for you. Working for you wasn't exactly stress-free."

"Well, I do expect the best, and you have certainly proved yourself to be the best. Now…"

The interview continued for another thirty minutes, with Cat asking all sorts of questions until she was finally done.

"Thank you again for this interview."

"You are welcome, Ms. Grant. If you ever want another, all you have to do is contact Kara or myself. I haven't had the best experiences with reporters in my life, and I must admit that you were a refreshing change of pace."

"I feel like most people would disagree with you," Cat said with a smile.

"Well, I'm not most people. Every interview that I have gone through since everything happened has been about comparing me to my brother or degrading me because I am a woman. It is incredibly refreshing for someone to actually care about the direction I am taking LuthorCorp. Besides, Kara warned me about what to expect from you, so I wasn't unprepared."

"Of course she did," Cat said while smirking at Kara. "Before the two of you leave, there is one more thing that I would like to cover. I am hosting a gala tonight to celebrate Supergirl and the special edition magazine that we are printing, and I would like to extend an invitation to both of you."

Kara wanted to be surprised at this, but she really wasn't. It was Cat, after all. "We would love to," Kara said, reaching out to take the invitations from Cat.

"Excellent. I will see you both tonight, then."

Finishing up their goodbyes, Kara and Lena left Cat's office to prepare for the Gala.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the interview was over, they both agreed it'd look best to arrive together. To say Kara was a bit intimidated was an understatement. Not that she'd let it show, but the fact that she was going to her first public appearance as the COO of LuthorCorp to a gala dedicated to her alter-ego was a bit overwhelming. Nothing that she can't handle, though. 

At the moment, though, Kara was standing on an elevator to go and pick up Lena. While she wasn't exactly nervous, she was definitely excited for what was coming later today. Lena had mentioned that she was going to wear her favorite emerald dress for this affair and, without telling Lena, Kara had decided to match with her own black suit and emerald cufflinks and earrings.

She'll chalk it up to appearing like a united front to the public, but she really wants to see Lena's reaction to the shirt that has one too many buttons undone to be considered appropriate. With her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and her glasses firmly in place, she steps out of the elevator and knocks on the only door in the entire floor. She hears Lena shout it's open and walks in. She looks around for her but notices she isn't in her living room, so she waits.

"Sorry! I couldn't find my other heel for a minute there...." She stops mid-sentence and gapes at Kara. Kara notices the uptick in her heartbeat and grins to herself. Kara turns around to see her only to freeze too at the beautiful dark green dress hugging Lena in all the right places. 

"You alright?" The blonde nods quickly and looks away only to look again and zero in on her chest.

"Did you try and match with me on purpose…" She walks towards Kara and goes to grab her shoulder to balance herself on one leg to put on her other shoe. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She smiles to herself and grabs her elbow to keep her steady.

"Mmm, yes, I'm sure." Disbelieving but not about to argue with her, Lena finally stands upright and turns to Kara fully. She tugs at the lapels of her shirt and smooths it out.

"You look good, Danvers. Let's go, though; you are the guest of honor, of course." She steps back and walks past her towards the door and opens it. She looks back at Kara and smiles. 

"Right, yeah, you're right."

The drive to the Gala is relatively uneventful. They went over the speech Supergirl was supposed to present, and a list of who to make connections with. By the time the car pulled up to the front of the venue, they'd gone over everything.

As the car comes to a stop, Kara quickly gets out to the other side of the vehicle. She shoos away the driver and opens the door herself for Lena to get out of. The cameras flash wildly at the gesture, and she gives them her best smile. She offers her arm to Lena, who takes it just as quickly, and they make their way down the long red carpet. 

As soon as they enter, they disentangle themselves. Both are impressed at the detail Cat had put into the Gala. From the vibrant blue and red colors shown all over the place to the big stage at the end of the room, showcasing a large screen with a picture of Supergirl flying.

"I didn't know they took that." She mutters it to herself, but it's clear by the amused snort she gets from Lena that she heard her.

"Let's go find Cat, she has to be here somewhere." Kara nods and walks alongside Lena, all while greeting everyone who comes up to her, congratulating her on her new position. After a short while, they finally spot Cat mingling about with other businessmen and women, so they make their way to her.

"Do you even own a dress, Kara. I've only ever seen you in button-ups, you know." Cat speaks up when she spots them and walks over to them, meeting halfway there.

"I do, I just liken my dress shirts better." Kara laughs and jokingly straightens her shirt up.

"Well, you clean up nicely either way. As do you, Miss Luthor." 

"Thank you, you've really outdone yourself here."

"Oh, this? Yes, I do believe I have." Humble as always, she looks proud of herself.

"Now, if only the guest of honor would show up, that'd be great." She pointedly looks at Kara before excusing herself to greet some other people. 

"Do you think she…?" Kara whispers to Lena, and the brunette simply shrugs and looks at Cat's retreating figure.

"She most likely does."

"That's impossible, the image inducer is literally supposed to make me unrecognizable. That woman never ceases to amaze me, I swear." 

"She's right though, why don't you excuse yourself and come flying down? You can mingle around as Supergirl and actually stay still for the cameras for once." 

Kara rolls her eyes and nods as she quickly makes her way to an empty hallway. She's just about ready to change when she hears a loud crash and screams from the dance floor. Looking back, she sees smoke surround a panting Reactron. She swears and hurries to don her suit. She quickly changes as she makes a quick note to never go without wearing her suit under her clothing or figuring out a way to use nanobots to conceal it.

She charges towards the smoke and runs in front of him to catch his attention. 

"Ben Krull!" Shocked, he freezes in his rage and looks at her.

"It's over now!" 

"It is over when I say it's over!" He charges at her, and she gains the upper hand again as she grabs his arm mid tackle and flips him over herself. He grunts as soon as he hits the floor and manages to detangle himself from her and step back. His chest charges, and before she can even jump to stop him, he shoots out towards the crowd that started to form.

Now actually knowing how strong his blasts are, she steps in front of it and braces herself to take it. She hisses at the heat, but she quickly blasts her own ray of heat from her eyes and knocks him off his feet. 

"Is that really your most impressive move?"

"Supergirl!" She looks back and sees Lena point towards the lead statue of her head in the corner of the room. She nods and looks back at Reactron and then towards the statue and quickly goes to move closer to it. 

"You and your cousin think you are so high and mighty. Not even a month into the whole hero gig, and you throw yourself a party celebrating yourself? How narcissistic of you! Your kind disgust me!" He blasts at her again, and this time she dodges it to speed closer to him and tackle him to the ground before he can try and hit her again.

"First of all, it wasn't my idea. Second of all, you're a real piece of work if you are willing to have human casualties because of your own personal vendetta. Would Alyssa want this?"

"Don't you dare say her name! You have no right! After I kill you, I will kill your cousin!" 

He kicks her off of him and tries to stand only to be knocked down again. 

"Would you do us both a favor and stay down?" 

"Never!" She rolls her eyes at him as he again attempts to get out of the hold she has him in. She's basically got him when she hears the cape again, and she sighs as her cousin once again crashes through the roof of the building and lands roughly on the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?! I told you to go home!"

"I don't answer to you, besides you're clearly struggling to apprehend him!" She scoffs angrily at him and showcases the hold she's got on Reactron. His arms flail to try and get out, but it's useless with the amount of superior strength she's got on him.

"This is impossible! This suit is stronger than Superman himself, I designed it myself!"

She chuckles as she strengthens her hold on him. 

"I'm much stronger than him. Superman, make yourself useful and go get that statue of my head over there." She gestures with her chin to the corner of the statue she just mentioned and glares as he doesn't so much as move.

"I can't do that. Hand him over, I have to bring him into custody." 

"Get the statue now!"

"No! Give him to me; this is no game!" He goes to her and tries to detangle the hold she's got on him. She's struggling now with holding him and keeping Superman off of her and has no choice but to let him go.

"Goddamn it!" Reactron quickly jumps some meters away and charges at Superman and tackles him to the ground. It becomes apparent that the Super relies too heavily on his strength when he can't even break free of the choke-hold he's got himself into. Frustrated at having to do double the work, she quickly gets the statue and uses her heat vision to melt a small part of it so she can encase her hand in the lead. The plan is to remove the demon core altogether with the lead around it, so it isn't exposed to anyone.

"Come and get me, you weak-minded human!" He growls at her and lets go of Superman to charge at her instead, leaving a coughing Superman on the ground. As soon as he is close enough, she charges towards him faster than the eye can see and grabs the demon core in his chest. He shouts in surprise and chokes as she completely removes the item out of his chest. He falls to the ground in shock and pain as soon as it's out. 

She's got a hand full of lead and radioactive material and is smoking through the ears in anger at the still choking Superman on the ground. Luckily enough, the DEO manages to arrive just in time to arrest Ben Krull. She glances at the agent coming up to her and sighs as she notices it's her sister under a big helmet.

"You don't happen to have a lead-lined box with you, do you?" Alex sighs and gestures for a group of armored people to come in with an actual lead-lined box.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to have it on hand so quickly." Alex shakes her head and opens the box so Kara can carefully put the core in.

"You never know when you're going to encounter a radioactive material." Amused, Kara stays silent as she closes the box up and sighs.

"Look, I know this just happened and all that, but can we talk later?" Alex asks tentatively as she gives off the box to another nearby agent. Kara sighs in defeat at never catching a break and looks at Clark as he has finally gotten off of the floor and is taking Ben into an armored truck.

"Isn't Ben a police problem? You only work with aliens."

"We just have to ask him a couple questions. We'll hand him over when we're done." Nodding, Kara ignores the previous question and walks over to Superman. The closer and closer she gets the angrier she becomes at seeing him get his picture taken as he answers questions for the media about what happened. 

"It's lucky that I got here just in time, or else that could've ended much worse." The anchor sees her stalking towards them, and they quickly step back as they see the furious look in her eyes. Confused at their sudden silence, he looks behind him and squares his shoulders.

"Supergirl we were just talking about y-" 

Before he can finish his sentence, Kara jumps up a couple feet and comically slaps him across the face, and the force of the hit causes his head to snap to the side, and the wind blows through his cape. The anchors are speechless, as is everyone else in the immediate vicinity.

"You complete and utter moron! You did not have to crash down through the roof of the venue. You did not have to demand I hand him over to you when I had him in a perfectly secure hold. You did not have to make a fool out of yourself and this family so you can pretend you did all of the work you fucking dumbass!" She's pacing in front of him, all while the cameras capture everything that's being said.

"Not only did you further endanger every civilian in this venue, but you also did so much more damage than Reactron did himself! All for you to get your ass handed to you the minute he was forced out of my grasp by you! Your pride and ego almost cost the lives of dozens of civilians! Now you're here lying to these anchors acting like you were today's saving grace? No!" She turns to the anchors and pushes Superman out of the way.

"We were  _ not _ lucky that he crashed down today. Him landing like that was beyond unnecessary and is most likely going to cost millions to repair. Him even being here in the first place was unnecessary, I had Reactron down and ready to be cuffed and handled properly with little to no damage to everything around us."

"However, Superman decided to crash through the roof and demand that I let him go so that  _ he  _ could bring him in like some petulant child. He then endangered many more lives as he tried to wrestle Reactron out of my grip!" The anchors are shocked and look at Superman in surprise.

"That is not true-" He tries to defend himself, but Kara is on a rampage, she is not done.

"Enough! Your idiocy had you on your back with Reactron choking the air out of your lungs faster than you could blink! Was it not for my quick thinking of removing the core powering his suit out of his chest, this would have ended in your death." Turning away from him, she continued to address the reporters, "Don't let his charm fool you, this man's only power is brute strength and charisma." Turning back to him again, she jabs his chest to punctuate her next words.

"If you get in my way like that again, I will forcibly remove that sigil from your chest and have you at the bottom of the ocean before you can even react. How many times do I have to repeat myself to you? I do not need your help, and I sure as hell do not want you in my city, causing any more destruction in your wake. I am the head of the House of El, and you need to get that through your thick skull. For your sake, I hope I have made myself clear."

Glaring at her, he finally responds, "Crystal." Lifting off the ground, he flew off through the hole that he left in the ceiling.

She then addressed Cat and Lena, who had now walked up to her. "I am sorry for ruining your Gala, Miss Grant."

"Nonsense, Supergirl," Cat said, waving her off. "You had everything under control, and if your cousin had not become involved, the situation would have been resolved without incident."

"Indeed, Supergirl," Lena spoke up. "I know our families have had plenty of disagreements in the past, but you obviously hold yourself to a much higher standard than Superman. As a show of good faith, I will personally fund the repair of this building, as well as the park that Superman destroyed earlier. I hope that I will have an opportunity to work with you in the future, Supergirl."

"I would love that, Miss Luthor," Kara said with a massive smile. "But, I do have to get going." With that, she walked out of the main entrance and took off before looping back and returning as Kara.

"Ahh, there you are, Kara," Lena said when she saw her.

"I am sorry for not sticking around. My sister was one of the agents who took Reactron into custody, so I was talking to her."

"Of course, I understand. Well, as much fun as this has been, I think I am going to call it a night. Kara, would you like a ride back to your apartment?"

"That would be wonderful, Lena."

As they were walking out, Kara didn't notice as Alex walked up next to her. "We really need to talk some more, Kara."

Sighing, Kara turned to face her sister. "I suppose you want to yell at me some more?"

"Not this time. Miss Luthor," Alex said, nodding at Lena.

"Agent Danvers."

"Would you mind if I stole my sister from you for the rest of the evening?"

"Only if she is okay with it. Kara?"

"It's fine, Lena. I'll see you at work."

"Well then, you two enjoy the rest of your night."

"You too, Lena."

"I take it you have your car with you?"

Nodding, Alex turns and walks to her car with Kara following behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link to Kara's Suit: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1134/5488/products/1357-1-Long-Black-Peak-_Front-UPCLOSE_480x.jpg?v=1509573145
> 
> Link to Lena's Dress: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.shopyourtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/The-Flash-5x05-13.png&imgrefurl=https://www.shopyourtv.com/tag/lena-luthor/&tbnid=HB7Gl5nwHetfkM&vet=1&docid=Hk2B2t7WAP1AvM&w=881&h=683&q=lena+luthor+black+dress&source=sh/x/im
> 
> LadySerenityFY's Rant
> 
> So, I don't actually watch the show anymore, BUT THEY FINALLY MADE UP! Lena and Kara are back on track. I still hate that Kara had the audacity to say that she only made one mistake by hiding her identity. What about using Lena's boyfriend against her? What about tag-teaming Lena as both of her personalities to get information? If Kara had kept Supergirl completely separate from Lena besides saving her life, I would understand, but that never happened. Kara made just as many mistakes as Lena. Sure Lena hugely overreacted, but she was completely within her rights to feel the way she did. Don't get me wrong, I am glad they made up, but their characters have been completely butchered.


	13. Chapter 12: Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it has been a while. This chapter has just stumped both of us to no end. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long to post, but we make no promises.

Neither of them spoke until they were in the car. "I should probably tell you this now, but I moved out of my apartment," Kara said with apprehension. 

Sighing, Alex just looked at her for a moment before speaking. "Are there any other big things you need to tell me, Miss COO?"

"It depends, are we going to fight some more? Because after dealing with Clark, I am sick of fighting."

Alex chuckled at that. "You really didn't hold back with him. I have to admit, it was pretty satisfying seeing you slap him like that. Are you sure that was a good idea? The media is going to explode."

"I have the support of both Cat Grant and Lena Luthor, let them say what they want."

"Speaking of Lena Luthor…"

"Not right now, Alex. Can we just wait until we get to my apartment to discuss this, please?"

"Okay." She started to pull out when she stopped and looked at Kara. "What is your new address, by the way?"

Kara gave her the address, and Alex's jaw dropped.

"Kara, that is the most expensive complex in the city. How the hell are you going to afford that?"

"I'm the COO of LuthorCorp now, remember?"

"But still… whatever, I guess. I can wait a few more minutes."

"Thank you, Alex. I know we have been fighting a lot this past week, but I miss being able to talk to my sister. We made so much progress these last five years, and I don't want to lose that," Kara said with a sigh. "I already lost you once before, and I don't want that to happen again."

"Neither do I, Kara. So, just how fancy is this place?"

"Oh just wait, it's insane."

"Well, I can't wait to see it."

They didn't say anything else for the rest of the drive, choosing to enjoy each other's company instead. After everything that had happened between the two of them, neither wanted to risk saying anything that would drive the other away. 

The drive wasn't that long, so they were soon pulling up to the gate, where Kara handed her ID to the guard. She then directed Alex to her private parking location. 

"Kara, this is penthouse parking."

"I'm aware," Kara said with a grin. 

"Seriously, Kara?" Alex said in exasperation. "Not only are you living in the most expensive complex in the city, but you have the penthouse suite?"

"Yep," Kara said, enjoying her sister's reaction. 

"Well, lead the way," Alex said impatiently. "I can't wait to see this place."

Leading her to the private elevator, Kara took her up to the penthouse and gave her a tour. Every time Kara thought Alex's eyes couldn't get any wider, they somehow did until they were finally back in the living room.

"How in the hell, Kara," Alex said after she finally regained the ability to speak. "I know you are LuthorCorp's new COO, but you were just hired. How the hell did you afford this?"

"Lena owns the entire complex," Kara said with a shrug. "She said my old apartment wasn't equipped with the right security for my new needs, and she was right."

"Of course she owns the entire complex," Alex said, shaking her head. "Are you sure about this? I mean, she is a Luthor."

"Lena is not her brother," Kara said, crossing her arms, "just like I am not my cousin."

"I'm not going to try and stop you from working with her, Kara," Alex said, raising her arms in surrender. "You have made it perfectly clear that you are going to make your own decisions, regardless of what I say."

"You make it sound like you don't think I am capable of making my own decisions," Kara said, getting defensive.

"You know I don't think that about you, Kara. I just worry about you. It's just, everything has changed so quickly. Ever since Clark brought you to live with us, I have thought of you as my baby sister, even when we didn't get along, or when we were fighting. It has always been my goal to protect you, and then all this happened. You put yourself out there for the world to see, and you are kicking ass. I am quickly learning that you aren't a scared little girl anymore who needs my protection. It's just going to take me a while to get used to that."

"I know, Alex," Kara said, her expression softening. "I love you more than anyone in the universe, and it hurts when we fight like this. I am sorry for not telling you about Wonder Woman, but she asked me not to. Otherwise, I would have. I hate keeping secrets from you, and when you started coming home smelling like gunpowder, I knew you were keeping secrets from me as well. Then I found out that you worked for the DEO, and it hurt. I have known about them for a long time, and I know what they do. They tried to shoot me out of the sky with a kryptonite missile for Rao's sake. That is why I'll never work for them. I may occasionally drop off rogue aliens, but that will be the extent of my involvement."

"I am sorry for keeping that from you, Kara, but there is no way I could have told you. They would have thrown me in prison for breaking my NDA." 

"I understand, Alex, I do, but if the DEO tries to control my life, it will not end well for them."

"I am beginning to realize that. How did you find out about the DEO anyway?"

"The Justice League is aware of them. Wonder Woman told me about them when she began training me."

"I see. And what about Lena Luthor? Does she know about you?"

"I told her who I was as soon as she offered me the position of COO."

"Seriously, Kara?"

"Alex," Kara said in a warning tone.

"Working for her is one thing, Kara, but telling her your secret is another. You just met her, why the hell did you tell her?"

"Because of the amount of trust that she placed in me when she hired me as her COO. There was no way I could keep a secret like that from her. If I had and she found out later, it would have destroyed our working relationship, not to mention the friendship that we are building."

"I get it, Kara, I do. I still can't help but worry about you."

"Just take the time to get to know her, Alex. Don't judge her based on her family."

"I'll try, Kara. So, is there anyone else who knows about you?"

"I told Winn right after I saved your plane. Also, James Olsen knows because Clark told him," Kara said in an annoyed tone.

"I take it you're not a fan of him?" Alex said with a smirk. 

"Rao no. He might even be a bigger ass than Clark."

"Wow, he must be a real piece of work then."

"You have no idea. Also, his ex-girlfriend, Lucy Lane, knows as well. She kind of walked in on James and I in the middle of an argument and found out the identity of both me and Clark."

Kara saw Alex getting ready to say something, so she continued before she could get the chance. "She is actually a really nice person, Alex. You two would get along like a house on fire. She was going to work for Cat as her Head of Legal, but decided not to because she realized how much of an ass James is, so I hired her at LuthorCorp for the same position. Her, Lena, and I were planning on having a girls night soon, and I would love for you to come as well."

"I would love that, Kara. Is there anyone else that knows?"

"Cat might. She hasn't said anything, but I know she suspects at the very least."

"Is that a good thing, Kara? What if she…"

"She won't reveal my identity."

"How can you be sure?" Alex asked warily.

"Because I know her. I worked for her for five years, and I know how she thinks. She won't throw away future interviews with Supergirl for one story now. Besides, revealing my identity would put her in a fight with LuthorCorp, and I know she doesn't want that."

"As long as you're sure, Kara."

"I am. The only one I'm worried about is James, but I can't go after him until I go after Clark."

Before Kara could answer, the front desk called, saying that her food had arrived.

"When the hell did you order food? I have been with you the whole time."

"I have my ways," Kara said with a grin.

After they got settled again with their takeout, Alex spoke up. "Why haven't you dealt with Clark yet?"

"Because it's going to be a media nightmare, not to mention the Justice League. I know Wonder Woman is on my side, but the rest will need convincing. Removing his status will take time. I planted the first seed tonight. Now that he has been called out publicly, people will begin to see what kind of man he is."

"So you are going to destroy the public's opinion of him, and then strip him of his title? I like it."

"Well, I am glad you approve," Kara said with a chuckle.

After that, they both just sat and ate their food, glad that they were no longer fighting and once again just enjoying the other's presence. 

"So, do you want to see the best part of the house?" Kara said once they finished their food.

"Seriously, what else is there? I thought you showed me everything already."

"I may have left out the private lab," Kara said, unable to contain her massive grin.

Alex's jaw dropped. "You have a private lab, and you didn't show me immediately?"

Kara just laughed and beckoned for Alex to follow her. After they were both in the closet, Kara activated the elevator and laughed at Alex's slack-jawed expression. "You are going to catch flies, Alex." Alex then proceeded to glare at her, which only made her laugh harder.

Once the elevator arrived, Alex was like a kid in a candy store. She didn't know what to look at first, so she just ran around everywhere. After a while, she came back to where Kara was standing. "This lab is amazing! Can I please use this instead of my lab at the DEO?"

"It is pretty great. Lena really outdid herself." Kara saw Alex's expression drop at the mention of Lena, so she rushed to defend her. "I know you don't trust her, Alex, but please give her a chance. She just wants to help people. I have no doubt that the two of you will get along great once you see that."

"I will, Kara. But if she does anything to hurt you, I will destroy her."

"I would expect nothing less from you," Kara said with a soft smile. She then enveloped Alex in a tight hug. "I'm glad to have my sister back," she whispered. 

"Me too, Kara," Alex said, returning the hug immediately.

As soon as Kara stepped back from the hug, the events of the day hit her all at once, and she let out a massive yawn.

"It's getting late, you must be exhausted after today. I'll get out of your hair."

"You are welcome to stay the night. I know you keep a spare change of clothes in your car."

"Are you sure you have enough room for that, Kar?"

Laughing, Kara gave her sister a light shove. "Just go and get your clothes, silly."

After Alex got her clothes from her car, Kara showed her to one of the guest rooms. "Make yourself at home. This can be your room whenever you stay over," Kara said as she pulled Alex into another hug. "I know I said this already, but I am really glad we aren't fighting anymore."

"Me too, Kar."

Kara let out another yawn, so she wished Alex goodnight and made her way to her own bedroom. Looking at her phone, she noticed that she had a missed text from Lena asking if she was alright. She sent her a quick response letting her know everything was fine and that she and Alex had made up before slipping into her bed. She also sent a text to Diana, asking her if she would be able to go to Midvale with her tomorrow before she allowed sleep to claim her.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Kara woke up earlier than she would have liked to a text alert from her phone. Groaning, she rolled over to take a look at her phone and saw that it was a text from Diana asking her to call her. 

Not caring about the time any longer, Kara immediately called Diana.

"Kara, I hope I didn't wake you."

"It's fine, Diana. I would have called you last night, but I had Alex over."

"Oh? How did that go?"

"It went really well," and Kara couldn't help but smile as she remembered the previous night. "We are finally getting back on track with each other. She hardly even questioned my new position at LuthorCorp. I mean, I know that she has her reservations about Lena, but she was at least willing to give her a chance. I'm glad to have my sister back again."

"That's wonderful, Kara. Also, nice job on the way you handled Superman," Diana said with a slight chuckle.

"Is it all over the news already?"

"Yes. It was quite the show."

"Oh, Rao," Kara said, shaking her head. 

"So, what is this about going to Midvale?"

"I think it's time Alex and Eliza know everything. Alex knows that you trained me, but that's about it. Also, I already told Lena, so that just leaves Eliza to fill in. I hate that I have been hiding things from them."

"I am sorry for having you keep this from them, Kara, but it was necessary at the time. But I do agree that it is time to tell them everything."

"Thank you, Diana."

"Of course, Kara. Still, are you sure that you want me there for this?"

"Yes. I know Eliza will want to meet you after she knows, and Alex is… Alex is Alex. There is no way she will let me get away with not introducing you to her."

"Very well. What time shall I meet you in Midvale?"

"Actually, I just sent you the address to a private airstrip. Since Alex is coming, I am taking one of LuthorCorp's private jets. This way, you will get a little time to know Alex before we talk to Eliza."

"Already taking advantage of those COO perks, I see," Diana said in a teasing tone. "Taking a jet is fine with me, just send me the time you would like me to arrive."

"Of course. I will see you soon, Diana."

"Until then, Kara."

Putting down her phone, Kara quickly threw on a sweatshirt and made her way out to the kitchen, where she found Alex eating a bowl of cereal while watching a morning talk show. It was coverage of the fight with Reactron and all of the subsequent events that followed.

Taking a seat next to her sister, Kara sat and watched the news as well.

"What does this mean for National City, and more importantly, what does this mean for Superman?" she heard one of the hosts ask. 

"Well, I think it is quite obvious that National City is in good hands with Supergirl. She may be new to the Superhero scene, but it is painfully obvious that she is well trained and knows what she is doing."

"And don't forget about her interaction with Lena Luthor. While it is too soon to tell, it looks like Lena Luthor is offering a partnership with Supergirl. Watching Supergirl's reaction it appears that she wants this partnership as well."

"But doesn't it make you worry? After everything that Lex Luthor did, what's to say his younger sister won't finish what he started?"

Scoffing, Kara quickly changed the channel to CatCo News. 

"You alright there, Kar?"

"I just hate that everyone insists on comparing her to her brother."

"Well, no one knows much about her, so it is the only connection they can make."

"I just hope that people give her a chance."

"With Supergirl on her side, I am sure they will."

"Now, we move to the events of CatCo's Supergirl Gala last night."

Turning her attention back to the TV, Kara wanted to see what CatCo had to say about everything.

"Last night, CatCo hosted a Gala to introduce Supergirl to National City and the rest of the world. However, before Supergirl could even arrive, the villain known as Reactron showed up in search of the new Super."

"Supergirl quickly arrived on the scene and had Reactron restrained in a matter of moments. However, before he could be taken into custody, Superman arrived, literally crashing through the roof of the building, not caring about the damage he was causing. As if that wasn't enough, he then demanded that Supergirl release her hold on Reactron so that he could fight the villain himself. Supergirl refused and even asked for his help, as it was quite clear that she had a plan. Still, Superman refused and instead chose to try and grapple with Reactron, causing Supergirl to lose her grip."

"As soon as he was free, Reactron immediately managed to hit Superman with a blast of energy. This then allowed him to get the Man of Steel in a chokehold. Thankfully, Supergirl was able to disarm Reactron and take him into custody."

"This does, however, paint a nasty picture for The Man of Steel. Supergirl has called him out multiple times over the past two days for his reckless behavior and the amount of damage that he causes. Instead of owning up to his mistake, he tried to take credit for Supergirl's work. Instead of describing it to you, we will just show you what was recorded last night."

They then played the clip of Supergirl calling out Superman before continuing.

"Now with Lena Luthor funding the repair costs for all of the damage that Superman has caused and Supergirl publicly calling out The Man of Steel for his behavior, it is only a matter of time before more people call him out."

After the segment ended, Kara decided it was time to tell Alex about Midvale.

"I'm going to Midvale today."

Alex looked up from her coffee with a puzzled expression on her face. "Really? What for?"

"I still haven't called Eliza, and with how much needs to be said, I would rather do it in person."

"Okay. What time are you leaving?"

"The plane takes off around ten."

"Plane? Why aren't you flying yourself?"

"Because I would like it if you came with me. I know today is your day off, and I really don't want to do this alone."

"You better not be dragging me along just so you can avoid Mom's wrath by throwing me under the bus about the DEO."

"I wouldn't do that, Alex. I want you to come so that you can meet Wonder Woman."

"Wait, Wonder Woman is coming?"

"Yes, I talked to her this morning. She will be meeting us at the airfield, that way you will have time to get to know her on the jet."

"Is that a good idea, Kar? Talking about these types of things in a public space will only end in disaster."

Kara couldn't help but grin at this.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you own a private jet as well."

"I don't, but LuthorCorp does, and I just so happen to be the new COO."

"Well, you had me at Wonder Woman, but this seals the deal. I can't wait to see how the one percent of the one percent travel."

"Awesome! There are a few things that I need to take care of at LuthorCorp, so I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay. just let me know when you are on your way."

"Will do. See you in a bit."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Kara is walking into LuthorCorp. It may be a Sunday, but she just knew that she would find Lena in her office.

What she did not expect was to find Clark Kent in there with her.

As she approached Lena's office, she was stopped by Lena's new assistant.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Danvers, but Ms. Luthor is currently in a meeting with a reporter."

"It's okay, Jess. I am aware of her meeting with Clark Kent, which is why I am here."

"Of course, Ms. Danvers."

"I don't know what you are up to, Ms. Luthor, but I will find out. And when I do, you can rest assured that I will…"

"You will what Clark?" Kara snaps, immediately fed up with him. "Please, enlighten us."

"Ms. Danvers, it is nice to meet you," Clark says as he turns to face her.

"Cut the crap, Clark. She knows who we are."

"YOU TOLD HER!" Clark spluttered.

"No, I told her my identity. She already knew yours."

"Why would you do that, Kara? You know what Lex did to me."

"That is neither here nor there. Why are you here for an unscheduled interview?"

"It doesn't matter. You are obviously involved with their schemes, so I will make sure to bring you down as well."

"Really, Mr. Kent? Just because Supergirl has hurt your fragile ego is no reason to target her. As for me, you will need to do better than me being another Luthor."

"You may have brainwashed my cousin, Luthor, but I will not be fooled so easily."

"That is enough, Clark. The only delusional one here is you, so unless you have any valid questions for either of us, please leave."

"Whatever," Clark grumbles, "I have what I came for." With that, he turned to leave, but before he could, Lena spoke up.

"Also, Mr. Kent, you are banned from my building. If the Daily Planet wishes to interview me, they can send another reporter, but I will not be speaking to you again."

"Whatever, Luthor," Clark says as he finally leaves.

"Thank you for that, Kara," Lena says as she lets out a sigh. "He just barged in here and launched right into his accusations."

"That is usually how he does things," Kara sighs.

"Anyway, what brings you here today, Kara?"

"I was hoping that I could use the company jet, actually."

"Of course, although I do have to wonder why you aren't flying yourself."

"Alex and I are going to Midvale to talk to Eliza. I don't think she would be a big fan of me carrying her halfway across the country. Also, Wonder Woman is joining us."

"Ahh. You do know that you don't need to ask, right Kara?"

"I know I'm the COO, but it's still so new that I figured I would ask."

"Of course. Well, none of our jets are being used right now, so I'll let the pilot know to expect you. What time should I tell him?"

"Ten."

"Very well. How did things go with Alex last night?"

"It went wonderfully. She understands why I kept the secrets I did and just wants to go back to where we were."

"What about you working for me? How did she take that?"

"She is willing to give you a chance. She doesn't know you right now, so she is still on the fence. She does want to meet you, however, so I told her I will invite her to Girl's Night when we schedule it."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Kara. And I am glad that she is willing to give me a chance. Also, I hope that I get the chance to meet Wonder Woman one of these days as well."

"I will definitely see if she can come to Girl's Night when we have it."

"That would be lovely."

"Well, I'll let you get back to work, Lena. I'm going to go and get ready for my trip."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Kara."

"By Lena," Kara says with a smile as she walks out of the office.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, they were pulling into the airfield, and Kara could see that Diana was already waiting for them in front of the jet. Alex had noticed as well, and Kara noticed the shock on her sister's face as she realized who was standing in front of the jet.

"Seriously? Diana Prince is Wonder Woman!?" Kara turns towards Alex, shocked at her knowing who she is, to begin with.

"You know who Diana Prince is?" 

"I-uh-I mean who doesn't. Wasn't she rumored to have been involved with Bruce Wayne?" Kara continues to look at her weirdly before she finally shrugs and turns towards Diana. 

Diana beams as soon as she sees Kara and jogs towards her. Distracted by the sight of Diana jogging towards her, she doesn't notice Alex tensing beside her.

"Kara! Oh, how I've missed you!" The amazon practically launches herself onto Kara, who easily catches her and hugs her tightly. Alex simply shuffles awkwardly on the side, debating between giving them time to catch up or staying put. Finally, after a moment, Alex clears her throat, and they finally separate to look at her. She freezes at their stares but quickly collects herself and extends her hand towards Diana.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you. Finally." Diana smiles at the hand and lightly smacks it away and goes to hug her instead. Shocked but not averse to it, she quickly reciprocates. The hug doesn't last long, but Kara notices the slight tint to Alex's cheeks almost immediately. 

"Oh, it's absolutely wonderful to finally meet you, we have so much to discuss." Nodding a bit stunned, Alex follows behind Diana closely back towards the jet, almost completely forgetting Kara, who has stayed behind, shocked at the positive interaction.

"Well then, that went better than I thought." 

"Kara! Hurry up, the plane's going to take off soon." Diana shouts over her shoulder while her arm is slung over Alex's shoulder.

"This plane takes off when I say it takes off." 

"Still, hurry up," Diana says with a grin.

She picks up her pace, all while carrying her luggage and Alex's. The redhead had dropped it when Diana had hugged her and had never picked it back up. 

They finally make it inside the jet and sit around a table, with Diana on one side and Alex and Kara on the other. They go through the motions of asking the waitstaff for their drinks and sit in silence as the plane takes off towards Midvale. Finally, after a while, Alex speaks up.

"This is definitely one hell of an upgrade from an assistant." The redhead glances around, struck by the luxury of a private plane. She's been on a few for work sure, but nothing beats free alcohol and seat warmers. 

"That upgrade was very well deserved." Diana nods proudly at Kara as she says it. 

"I mean, of course, but it sure as hell was sudden. I mean, I got whiplash when we went into her penthouse apartment."

"It's a whole new world I'm excited to explore. I can't wait to tell Eliza all about it." 

"Now enough about Kara! I want to know more about you." Both Danvers sisters both snort at the sudden change of direction.

"Okay, what about me do you want to know?" 

"Anything you're willing to share, of course. I'm sure you've got questions of your own." 

"I've got a ton, but I don't want to bombard you with them!" The agent nervously laughs as she shifts uncomfortably with the sudden attention. 

"The whole purpose of this trip is to bombard me with any questions you may have about me. It's only natural to be curious." Kara's confused with Alex's behavior at the moment. She's never seen her so red and flustered around anyone. As a matter of fact, she's usually the one making other people flustered. It was throwing her off. 

"I suppose you're right. I am rather curious about how you and Kara first met."

Diana and Kara both share a look before Diana turns to her to answer.

"I had been keeping track of Kara for months as a favor to Clark. At first, I thought it was to make sure she was adjusting well and to step in if there was ever a problem. After a while, I figured out that it was instead to spy on her and report back to him. He didn't trust her not to run away or cause any more problems regarding her identity, so when that became clear, I approached her when she was alone and offered her my home. She only agreed to train with me though, she had grown rather fond of you by then." While Alex knew they didn't start out the best, she's still a bit shocked to hear that Kara chose to stay with them, a normal human family, rather than remain with Wonder Woman. 

"What? I didn't know that. Kara, is that true? She offered to have you stay with her, and instead, you stayed with us?" Kara nods seriously.

"Of course, I consider you and Eliza my home on earth."

While things in Midvale hadn't always been the best, the positive had always outweighed the negative when it comes to them. It shouldn't have taken Alex this long to figure that out, but in her defense, she was lying in a pile of her own self-doubt. 

"When she first arrived at Themyscira, she wouldn't stop talking about you and how you would love it there. Is that still true now? I'd love to have you there sometime and give you a tour if that's true." 

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to trouble you with that. It's fine."

"Nope, it's been decided. A tour sometime in the future it is." 

Alex nods nervously and quickly swallows the rest of her drink at an alarming rate. The blonde raises her brows in mild shock but waves it off as Alex just being Alex. The redhead clears her throat.

"Thank you, that's very uh...kind of you." Diana beams at her and waves down the waitstaff again to refill Alex's empty glass. 

"I know she'd really like it simply because of the number of sparring techniques she'd learn. I mean, she's definitely going to want to know how I beat her in the sparring match we had." Alex turns sharply and glares at her. 

"I let you win!" Scoffing at the absurdity, Kara turns all the way around to see her better.

"You did no such thing! I beat you fair and square."

"I let you win for sure. I didn't want to beat my own sister down." 

"Liar! You definitely tried your best that day, I could tell. You couldn't touch me even without my powers, so ha." The Kryptonian crosses her arms comically and snaps her head towards Diana, who'd suddenly started laughing. 

"What? It is very funny how you two bicker. Why not settle this when we land and have a sparring match?" Alex, not willing to miss this opportunity, she jumps in.

"Only as long as I get to spar with you too." 

"Alright, deal." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two and a half hours and a very long conversation later, they finally landed in Midvale. It was October, so the weather in Michigan was crisp and cool as the breeze blew by. The landing was uneventful, and they were quickly on their way in a car that Kara had called to the private airstrip.

Ever since landing, though, Diana has been uncharacteristically silent as she sat in the passenger seat of the car, scrolling through different news articles. At one point, Kara looked over her shoulder out of curiosity and saw that they were articles on Supergirl and STEM cell research. She smiled and sat back in her seat, glad that Diana was genuinely trying her best to always stay as updated as possible with her and her family. 

The drive wasn't that long, and they were soon pulling up to their beachfront home. 

"You have a very lovely home," Diana said, speaking for the first time since they landed.

"Ah, you should probably mention that to my mom," Kara said. "She's spent the past two years renovating the yard, and she's been fishing for compliments every time we come to visit." 

Nodding politely, Diana makes sure to keep that in mind as she really wants to make a good impression on Eliza. 

Kara paused for a moment, giving Diana an amused look. She'd had seemed so excited about meeting Eliza when they boarded the jet, but now she appeared quite nervous. It was a whole new side to her that Kara had never seen before. 

Finally, turning back to the house, Kara knocked on the door and took a step back. A moment passed before the door was swung open by Eliza.

Kara could see as the look of shock on Eliza's face quickly turned to joy at the sight of her daughters. Before Kara knew it, both she and Alex were pulled into a warm hug. After a moment, Eliza looked up, finally, seeing Diana standing awkwardly behind them. 

"Ladies, would you care to introduce me to your friend here?" 

"I'll leave that one to Kara," Alex quickly throws out.

"Ahh, right. So, Eliza, remember when I told you there was someone who was funding my college expenses and training me? Well, this is her, Diana Prince, otherwise known as Wonder Woman."

The shock doesn't last very long before Eliza is stepping up in front of Diana to pull her into a hug.

"It's nice to finally meet you. It has been a very long time coming. I always knew that Kara was up to something, but she never gave me any specifics." Pulling away, Eliza turns around and narrows her eyes at Kara, who sheepishly shrugs at the sudden attention on her. "As for you, young lady, I'll assume that this last-minute trip was your idea. While I am glad to see my girls, next time, give me some warning so I can prepare."

"Is there anything specific that you would like for dinner," Eliza asks as she looks back at Diana.

Diana looks at her bewildered by her behavior but quickly regains her composure. "Uh, anything you make is fine." Satisfied, Eliza ushers them inside and goes to fuss about the mess around the house. 

"Honestly, if you're going to drop in, the least you can do is give me a warning next time! I would've gone shopping for better food even now, we're stuck with mediocre dinner."

Alex and Kara both collectively roll their eyes at Eliza's fussing. 

"If it's such a big deal, I can have the driver go out and get whatever it is you need." 

Eliza gave Kara a look before speaking. "It will be fine, dear. I can make do with what I have."

"It's no trouble, Eliza. I have him on retainer for the rest of the day. I'll just tip him extra for this."

"Very, well. It will take me some time to get used to my daughter being a bigshot COO."

"So, you saw the news then?"

"Of course I did. After you revealed yourself to the world, I followed everything about you, since you didn't see fit to call your mother and tell her what was going on."

Kara couldn't help but feel ashamed about that. While she could tell that Eliza wasn't truly angry with her, she still felt terrible about it. "That is why I'm here now. I figured you deserved more than a phone call with everything that has happened," Kara said apologetically.

"And I am happy about that, darling. I just have so many questions for all of you. That is as long as you don't mind," she says, looking at Diana.

"No, not at all. I'm sure you're very curious about the way Kara was treated on Themyscira." 

Nodding quickly, Eliza turns back and walks towards the kitchen with Diana following closely behind, leaving two bewildered Danvers sisters.

"Well then...that went better than expected." Shrugging nonchalantly, Alex follows them into the kitchen while Kara just slowly approaches them as well. 

"So, what would you like the driver to pick up?" 

Eliza then lists all ingredients for carbonara while Diana nods as if satisfied with the dinner results. After texting the driver the list, they all sit down and wait as Eliza comes and pours them the tea she had been preparing.

"Well...I recall you having a few questions to ask me, so please, ask away." The amazon finally speaks up after a moment has passed.

"Wow, where do I even start! Uh, I guess we can start with how you two first met." With that, Diana recounted as many stories she could remember about Kara, all while Kara herself sank deeper and deeper in her chair in embarrassment from the endless teasing.

Their talks covered so much, even while Eliza was cooking. Alex had attempted to make breadsticks, but they ended up burned and useless after getting distracted by a story Diana was telling about a particular training session involving swords. 

"So it's true that Themyscira is populated only by women? Wow, I thought that was a myth." 

"Everyone always thinks it's a myth, but I can assure you, it's very much real." Alex opens her mouth in shock and goes to say more but gets interrupted by Eliza.

"How could that possibly work reproductively?" Eliza leans over her empty plate.

"Well, it was different for me, I was made out of clay."

"...Clay?"

"My mother wanted desperately to be a mother, so she begged the gods to make a child out of clay, and they did. Besides, everyone on the island is immortal."

"Wow...your existence alone is one of wonder."

"Now, I would also like to know how my daughter became the COO of LuthorCorp," Eliza says, looking to Kara.

"Well, about that…"

By the time they were done with dinner, Kara had finished telling her mother about how she had been hired at LuthorCorp and everything else that had happened over the past few weeks. Kara could see tears beginning to form in Eliza's eyes, but before she could say anything, she was pulled into a hug.

"Oh, sweetie, you have grown into such an amazing young woman, and I couldn't be more proud of you."

"So, you're not worried about Lena Luthor knowing who I am?"

"I worry about anyone knowing about who you are, but no, I'm not worried about Lena Luthor. Everyone deserves to be judged based on their own merit, and if you trust her, it is good enough for me."

"Thank you, mom," Kara whispered.

Eliza froze when she heard what her daughter said. Kara had never called her mom before, and hearing her say it brought so much joy to her heart.

Feeling Eliza tense up, Kara immediately began to backtrack, thinking she had offended her. "Eliza, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

Eliza quickly interrupted her daughter before she could get carried away with her ramble. "It's okay, sweetie. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. Did you mean it?"

"Of course I mean it," Kara said through the tears that were now threatening to fall. "I know things weren't always the best between us, but I have felt like that for a long time now. You have been the best mother I could ever ask for. The only reason I haven't called you mom is because I thought you wouldn't want me to."

"Oh, sweetie, why would you ever think that?"

"On Krypton, adoption isn't a thing because there was never a need for it. And Kal said…"

"Sweetie, after everything that he has done, why would you believe anything he says?"

"I… I… I don't know," Kara whispered. "So, you are okay with me calling you mom?"

"Of course I am."

With that, Kara just buried her head into her mother, allowing herself to be comforted. Everything was finally clicking into place for her, and she finally, truly felt like she was a part of a family.

"Well, not that I'm not enjoying this, but I believe I was promised a sparing session," Alex said, raising a challenging eyebrow at Diana.

Kara startled out of the hug, having completely forgotten about the other two women in the room. "Seriously, Alex? Did you have to ruin the moment?"

"It's my sacred duty as your sister. Sparing, now."

Diana had been watching everything in silence, and couldn't help but shake her head at the redhead's antics.

"Seriously, girls? And when did you learn to fight, Alex? I thought you were a bio-engineer?"

Alex stopped and looked at her mother, sheepishly. "Well, about that…"

"You are telling me that you went to work for the very organization that got your father killed?" Eliza said furiously. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I could do something good, that I could help protect people."

"So you went to work for the man that got your father killed? And you knew about this," she said, turning her attention to Kara.

"I have known about the DEO for some time. I did not know that Alex was working for them until recently, however. While I am not comfortable with working for the DEO, I understand why Alex decided to, and I won't force her to quit. There are also other things at play that I am not able to share."

"But that organization killed Jeremiah."

Jeremiah died in a lab accident. There was nothing that anyone could do, mom. I understand you are worried about Alex, but you need to stop being so hard on her."

"That organization hunts down aliens, Kara. People like you."

"I know, mom. But there are more things at play, many of which I can't share, and I don't believe they pose a threat to either me or Alex."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. If they posed a threat to my sister, there is no way I would let her continue working for them. Now, I believe Diana owes Alex a sparring session."

After everyone has changed into more appropriate attire, they all meet back up in the backyard. 

"So, who wants to go first?" Diana grins as she bounces from leg to leg in excitement. Kara and Alex both share a look before they playfully play a game of rock-paper-scissors. Alex wins but then comes to a sudden realization.

"Wait a minute! How am I supposed to go up against you on equal footing if you're superhuman? 

"I'll go easy on you! I've fought with humans before, don't worry." Diana playfully raises her fists to her face as she bounces from foot to foot, similar to that of an MMA fighter. 

Apprehensive at first, Alex circles around and starts to analyze where she should strike first. She realizes fairly quickly that the amazonian woman has no definite opening and simply decides to make one. She charges head-on and tries to make Diana lose her footing only to be tripped and flipped all in a span of a few seconds. Shocked, Alex freezes as she looks up at the sky while she catches her breath.

"Well. New tactic it is." The redhead jumps to her feet and turns around and starts to circle again.

"Is that the best you can-" Alex simply scoffs to herself and goes again, but this time lower. Having caught Diana off-guard for once, she manages to grab onto her legs in a hard enough tackle to take her feet off the ground. However, she recovered quickly enough to use that momentum to throw Alex over her as she fell.

"Good job catching me off-guard like that. It won't happen again, though." Her smile would've seemed condescending if she didn't look so damn earnest, Alex thinks to herself. 

"Alright, tackling is off the table. Hmm…"

In the end, Alex couldn't beat Diana, but she did manage to beat Kara once.

Stepping off to the side, Diana settled on the hammock with her coffee as she watched Kara and Alex spar some more in the backyard. She was glad she was able to come today and see for herself how the Danvers family treated Kara. It was like breathing a breath of fresh air as she listens to Kara's laugh as she takes the agent down again. 

She glanced over her shoulder and watched Eliza walk out of the house with her own piping cup of coffee. She ended up stopping right next to Diana, leaning against the railing.

"I was a bit apprehensive about meeting you," Eliza said after a moment. Diana looked at her, a bit shocked at the honest revelation.

"Really? Why?" Eliza finally turns all the way around to completely face her. 

"I was afraid." 

"Afraid of what?" The amazonian practically whispers.

"Afraid I wouldn't be needed anymore. I mean, you're literally Wonder Woman, and I'm just the human scientist who took her in because her cousin wouldn't."

"Kara will always need you, Eliza. I may be Wonder Woman, but you and Alex gave her a home when she needed it most. Sure, you have had your issues, but she loves you. All I have ever been to her is a mentor."

"I never really understood that until now. The first time I heard about you was when Kara was going off to Oxford. You were a mysterious benefactor that paid her way through college, which I can't thank for enough. But that still meant there was someone out there who could provide for her better than I could, and it scared me." Eliza sighed before continuing. "I know we have had our issues, but I couldn't love Kara more if she was my own flesh and blood, and I'm glad she is calling me mom now. I never realized she was afraid to say it."

"Well, that is in the past now." Diana stopped, taking a look at Eliza, and the contemplative look on her face. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just how much of my daughters' lives I have missed. Do you think either would be opposed to me moving to National City?"

"No, we wouldn't be opposed, mom," Alex said, startling both women.

Both Eliza and Diana had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed Alex and Kara had stopped sparring and moved over to them.

"What about your job, though?" Alex continued.

"I am sure that I will be able to find something in the city."

"I might actually have a solution for that," Kara said.

Everyone turned to look at her, so she quickly continued. "Well, I was hoping to open a new division at LuthorCorp that focuses primarily on alien medicine and treatments. With your experience, you would be perfect for the job."

"Kara, I can't ask you to do that for me."

"You aren't asking. I am starting this division regardless, and you are a perfect candidate to lead it."

"Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Yes, mom, I'm sure," Kara said with playful amusement. "If the Board approves this, I can set up a meeting with Lena by next week, hopefully. Speaking of work, both Alex and I have work tomorrow morning, and it is getting late."

"Well, I am glad you both made the time to see me."

"If everything goes to plan, we'll be seeing you a lot more, mom," Alex said.

Soon enough, the driver was pulling back up to the house, and everyone said their goodbyes.

"Be careful, both of you," Eliza said as she hugged her daughters.

"We will, mom," Kara said.

With that, both Kara and Alex made their way over to the limo to join Diana.

The trip back to National City was uneventful, but Kara felt so much lighter. Her family was finally all on the same page and accepting of everything except for Clark. She wasn't really concerned about him anymore, however. He had made his position in her life quite clear, and she was done with him.

By the time she made it back to her apartment, she was exhausted, but she immediately got to work writing her proposal for the Board because she couldn't wait to have her mother living in National City. Thanks to her superspeed, though, she was soon done and crawling into her bed, where she fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope everyone likes this chapter. Now that the family is finally coming together, we can begin getting into the meat of the story. Big things will be happening next chapter, so stay tuned. Also, shoutout to wttboz for his input on this chapter.


	14. Getting to Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's first week at LuthorCorp as well as an interesting development between two secretaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE BACK! Holy shit, talk about a break. We are so sorry for the delay with uploading, life just got in the way. One of us just moved, both of us got new jobs, so life be crazy. We'll try to be more frequent, but we make no promises. I promise that no matter how long we go, this story isn't abandoned. Not a day goes by where it isn't on our minds. Thank you so much for all of your patience with us.

While Kara’s plans had always been to start her own company, Lena had thrown it right out the window when she gave her the COO position. The COO position that she coincidentally started today. Officially at least. While it was different than what she was used to, she was able to slip into the role easily enough.

Just like she had planned, she presented her proposal for the new division to Lena. Lena absolutely loved the idea and wanted Kara to propose it at the board meeting later that day. That is where Kara began to notice that not all of the board members were happy with her being the new COO.

Kara and Lena were the first to arrive at the meeting, but soon enough, the rest of the board began to arrive. The first person to walk into the room took one look at her and practically leered at her. She wouldn’t have given it much thought if it hadn’t been for the comment he made under his breath as he took his seat. 

_ “That Luthor bitch sure knows how to pick ‘em I guess.”  _ He scoffed. 

Kara just brushed it off as a jealous old man, but it had happened again. She heard a group of board members talking amongst themselves as they were making their way to the meeting room. Normally she wouldn’t eavesdrop like this, but she wanted to have a feel for the room before the meeting started.

_ “I heard she was an assistant before getting this job! Isn’t that crazy? All you gotta do to get a good enough job here is sleep your way there,”  _ one of the women scoffed.

_ “I mean, I also heard she’s got more Ph.D. 's than she knows what to do with! She’s some kind of prodigy,”  _ another one said.

_ “I don’t care if she’s Athena herself, she didn’t work for that job title enough. Kissed some ass, licked some boots. I can bet some real cold hard cash that’s also how she got those stupid degrees.”  _

_ “Still, Ms. Luthor hired her for a reason. We shouldn’t make any judgments about her until we meet her.” _

It wasn’t the first time someone had belittled her accomplishments, but it was the first time it could affect her work. While the board did appear to be divided on their views about her, she was worried that they would deny her proposal.

In the end, she had nothing to worry about. While the board had been hesitant at best regarding her, she quickly put them in their place. Once they realized that she wasn’t just a pretty face that they could walk all over, they actually listened to her. Between her and Lena, they were able to get approval for the new division as well as complete several other items.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“That was amazing, Kara,” Lena gushed as they walked back into her office. “The board has never been that agreeable before! I mean, I usually get what I want, but that was a whole new level of efficiency. I can’t believe how quickly you won them over!”

“It wasn’t just me, Lena,” Kara said with a blush. “I never would have been able to push any of that through without you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Kara. You were incredible today and your proposal was brilliant.”

Kara couldn’t help but blush even more at this. Despite the two of them agreeing to keep things professional, she was still incredibly attracted to Lena, and getting complimented by her was doing things.

“Speaking of your proposal, when can your mother move here? I would like to write up a formal job offer for her and have the division running by next week.”

Snapping out of her thoughts of Lena, Kara realized that she had been asked a question. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?”

Lena gave Kara a knowing smirk and quickly repeated her question.

“She should be able to get here by next week if I give her assistance with the move and getting an apartment.”

“Wonderful. I’ll have a formal job offer written by the end of the day. There is one more thing that I needed to talk to you about, though.”

“Oh?” Kara said curiously. “What’s up?”

“You need to get an assistant, Kara.”

“I honestly hadn’t even thought about that.” It was true. With everything that had been going on the past week, Kara never realized that she was going to need an assistant. “It would be best if we hired someone that could be trusted with my secret. Imagine how it would look if they walked in and I was gone.”

Lena got a thoughtful look on her face upon hearing this. “That is a good point, Kara. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Not yet. Do you think Jess would be able to help with this?”

“Would you be comfortable with Jess knowing your secret, Kara?”

“I have already done a security check on her, so I do believe that she can be trusted.”

“I think it would be for the best. Since I will most likely be interacting with her a lot, it seems prudent to tell her.”

“As long as you are sure, Kara.”

“I am. I’ll call Lucy up so that she can draft an NDA for me.”

“Excellent.” Reaching over to her intercom, Lena paged Jess. “Jess, could you please send Lucy Lane to my office?”

_ “Right away Ms. Luthor.” _

A few minutes later Lucy was walking into the office.

“Congrats, Kara. I heard you made quite the splash today.”][‘

  
  


“Really, it was nothing,” Kara said.

“That’s not what people are saying. But I am guessing you called me for a reason other than gossip.”

“We did, Lucy,” Lena said.

“Wait, what are people saying about me?” Kara said before Lena could continue. She was used to gossiping from CatCo., but she had never been the object of it.

“You have superhearing, use it,” Lucy laughed.

“But… fine,” Kara said with a pout.

“You are too adorable, Kara,” Lena laughed, causing Kara to blush and pout even more. “Seriously, I have watched you rip your cousin to pieces yet you become a stuttering mess around me. I guess I’m just special,” Lena said with a smirk.

“I… that’s not fair and you know it.”

“I’m a Luthor, darling. We never play fair.”

“I feel like I am missing something here.”

Kara startled at that. She had completely forgotten that Lucy was in the room with them.

“Kara and I both have a mutual attraction to each other but we are keeping things professional between us,” Lena said nonchalantly. “However, this does not mean that I am going to pass on the opportunity to tease the Girl of Steel.”

“Lena!” Kara screeched, mortified.

Lucy, however, was cracking up after watching the two women interact.

“Man, never a dull moment with you, huh Luthor?” Lena simply shrugs. 

“At my expense, unfortunately,” Kara grumbled. “Now, can we please get back to the reason we called you here?”

“Fine, be a party pooper. We can talk more about this later, Lena,” Lucy said, winking at Lena.

“You two are insufferable,” Kara muttered.

“Okay, Kara. We can talk about those NDA’s now.

“What do you need NDA’s for?” Lucy asked, all business now.

“Kara needs an assistant, but it needs to be someone that we can trust with her secret. Also, we will need an NDA for Jess as well because of how often she will be interacting with Kara.”

“I see. It will be easy enough to write up an NDA for Jess. As for Kara’s future assistant, do you have any idea who you are going to hire?”

“No, that’s one of the reasons that we want an NDA for Jess,” Kara said. “Even though she has only been working for Lena for a week, she is remarkably good at what she does.”

“Well, give me an hour and I’ll have an NDA ready for Jess. I can also get started on one for Kara’s future assistant.”

“Thank’s Lucy. Both Kara and I are free for the rest of the day so you are free to work here if you would like.”

“That would be lovely.”

A little over an hour later, Lucy was finished with the NDA so Lena paged Jess. “Jess, could you please come into my office?”

“Of course Ms. Luthor.”

As soon as Jess saw who was in the office she froze. “Is everything alright, Ms. Luthor?”

“Relax, Jess. You aren’t in any trouble,” Lena said with a soft smile. “Please take a seat.”

Kara watched as Jess visibly relaxed before taking a seat. “Before we go any further, Jess, I am going to need you to sign this NDA,” Kara said as she set the NDA down in front of her.

“May I ask what this is about, Ms. Luthor?”

“This is for Kara, Jess,” Lena said, gesturing to her friend. “It is up to her.”

“Ms. Danvers?” Jess said.

"I'm sorry, Jess, but you will need to sign the NDA before we continue. I promise there is nothing for you to worry about."

After hesitating for a moment, Jess picked up the pen and signed before looking at Kara expectantly. 

"Thank you, Jess, Kara said. "I know this situation is a bit unusual but you will understand in a moment."

"Understand wh.." Jess stopped, shocked as Kara used her superspeed to change into her suit. “You’re… you’re Supergirl. Wow, I did not expect that.”

“Now you know why we were insisting on secrecy,” Kara said with a smile.

“But why tell me? Jess questioned, confusion and awe evident in her voice.

Kara quickly changed back into her work clothes before answering. “Because, while you may be Lena’s assistant, you and I will be interacting on a regular basis. Chances are you would eventually see something that would allow you to figure out my identity.”

“Also, Kara needs an assistant,” Lena said, choosing this moment to speak up. “She needs someone that can be trusted with her secret should they be hired. I want you to look into making that happen.”

“Of course, Ms. Luthor.”

“None of the potential candidates are to be told anything about Kara being Supergirl. That information will be passed on to whoever she hires.”

“I understand, Ms. Luthor.”

“One more thing, Jess. Whenever we are alone or with Lucy and Kara, call me Lena.”

“Of course, Ms… Lena.”

“And please, feel free to call me Kara, Jess.”

“I think I can manage that,” Jess said with a chuckle. “Is there anything else you needed from me?”

“Not at the moment, Jess. Once you have a list of candidates for Kara, please pass them along to her so she can review them.”

“Well, I’ll get started with that, Ms… Lena.” With that , Jess took her leave, leaving Kara, Lena, and Lucy alone.

“Well, that went well,” Lucy said. “I thought she was going to pass out.”

“Now that would have been fun. The last thing I need is for employees to be passing out in my office,” Lena said.

“Well, if that is all, I am going to get started on writing up the offer of employment for Eliza. I also need to call her and help her get started on looking for an apartment in National City.”

“Of course, Kara,” Lena said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next few days were relatively uneventful as Kara finalized her plan for the new division. Eliza was thrilled by the job offer and immediately began looking for apartments in National City. She was going to sell her house in Midvale, but Kara shot that down, telling her that if it came down to it, she would buy it herself. That home meant too much to her to allow it to be sold.

It was Thursday morning when Jess came into her office. “Ms. Danvers, I have the list of candidates for you.”

“Thank you, Jess. I meant what I said. Please call me Kara.”

“Sorry, Kara. I completely forgot.”

“That’s fine,” Kara said with a warm smile. “Now, if you don’t mind, could you please go through this list with me?”

“Of course,” Jess said happily.

By the end of the day, Kara had narrowed the list down to one person, Nia Nal. By all accounts, Nia was a very open person and was actually transgender. Kara hoped that this would mean that she would be accepting of her being Supergirl.

Picking up her phone, Kara dialed the contact number that Nia had left.

_ “Hello?” _

“Is this Nia Nal?”

_ “Yes. Can I ask who is calling?” _

“My name is Kara Danvers, COO of LuthorCorp. You recently sent in an application to be my assistant.”

_ “Oh, Ms. Danvers! I didn’t realize it was you.” _

“That is quite alright, Ms. Nal. I was hoping that you would be available to come in for an interview.”

_ “Of course! I am free at any time.” _

“Would tomorrow at 2 pm be acceptable, then?”

_ “That would be great! I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Danvers.” _

“Thank you, Ms. Nal. Have a wonderful evening.”

_ “You as well, Ms. Danvers,”  _ Nia said politely before hanging up the phone.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Kara was sitting in her office at 2:03 wondering where Nia was when Jess paged her.

_ “Your two o’clock is here, Ms. Danvers.” _

“Thank you, Jess. Please send her in.”

“Ms. Nal,” Kara said as she stood to greet the flustered young woman who had entered her office, “thank you for being available on such short notice.”

“Ms. Danvers, I am so sorry,” the young woman blurted out as she shook her hand. “You know, the crazy thing is I am always punctual. Always. But the one day it matters, my new roommate took the keys to my rental car. Accidentally, of course. And then I had to take the bus, and I spilled coffee all over my skirt. And all I wanted to do was make a good first impression on you.”

“Please, it’s just Kara,” she said as she took her seat behind her desk again while Nia sat in front of her.

“I messed this all up, didn’t I?” Nia said dejectedly.

“I promise, you didn’t Ms. Nal. Stuff happens to the best of us. Now please, tell me, why LuthorCorp? What made you apply to be my assistant?”

Finally composing herself after her embarrassing introduction, Nia responded. “Honestly, I’m curious.” Nia sheepishly said. 

This wasn’t the response that Kara expected, but it intrigued her. “What are you curious about, Ms. Nal?”

“You. After you called me yesterday, I looked into LuthorCorp some more, and the new direction that Ms. Luthor is taking the company is really inspiring. But it was you who made me curious. I know that you used to be Cat Grant’s personal assistant for almost five years until LuthorCorp hired you last week. I know that you have an insane amount of degrees, but you never used any until now.” Nia paused for a moment and visibly cringed. “I am so sorry. That must sound so creepy to you. I can see myself out.”

Nia went to stand, but Kara stopped her. “I understand you are nervous Ms. Nal, but I promise you, you are doing fine.”

“I know this might be a bit much to ask, but could you please call me Nia? Ms. Nal sounds so formal and it just makes me more anxious.”

“I can do that, Nia. So, what were you hoping to get out of this job?”

“Honestly, I don’t know yet. I just graduated college and this seemed like a good place to start.”

The interview continued on for a few more minutes and by the end of it, Kara was feeling very confident in her choice.

“Well, Nia, if you are interested, this job is yours. There are just some last things that I will need to go over with you before I officially offer you the job.”

“Wait, seriously?” Nia said as a look of surprise crossed her face.

“Yes,” Kara said in an amused tone. “I hope you would be interested in it.”

“Of course!” Nia said excitedly before a contemplative look came over her face. “There is one thing that I need to tell you, however.”

“Oh? I assure you, it won’t change my mind.”

“Still, I need to tell you.” Nia was now visibly nervous again, and Kara was slightly worried. “I fall asleep a lot.”

“Excuse me?” Kara said, now confused.

“I can’t control it and I never know when it is going to happen.”

“I assure you, Nia, you having a medical condition won’t affect me hiring you.”

“It’s not a medical condition, not exactly. You see, when I fall asleep I get visions. I know I must sound crazy to you, but my mother is from the planet Naltor and I inherited her powers. I don’t normally tell this to people, but for some reason I trust you. I hope me being part alien won’t be an issue.”

Kara leaned back in her chair, happy in her decision. If she wasn’t decided before, she was now. “I promise, you this won’t affect anything. In fact, you’re hired.”

“Ms. Danvers, if you are hiring me for my powers, I will have to decline,” Nia said nervously.

Kara immediately realized how she must have come off to Nia and rushed to correct herself. “I am sorry if I implied that, Nia. I promise I’m not hiring you for your powers. I am hiring you because you just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can trust you.”

“Well, in that case, I accept the job offer,” she said as relief washed over her.

“There is still one more thing that I need to cover with you, Nia. Although, your confession has made this considerably easier.” Taking the NDA out of a folder on her desk, she passed it to Nia. “Still, before we go any farther, I will need you to sign this NDA. Feel free to read through it, but I won’t hire you unless you sign.”

After reading through the NDA, Nia didn’t even hesitate as she signed it and passed it back to Kara.

“Thank you, Nia. The reason I had you sign this is because, besides the posted job description, you will also be covering for my absences from the office.”

“Pardon?” Nia said with a look of confusion. “Ms. Danvers, if you are partaking in any illegal activity, I will have to decline the offer.”

Kara laughed at that before using her superspeed to change into her suit. “I assure you Nia, it is nothing of the sort.” She couldn’t help but laugh some more at the look of shock on Nia’s face.

“Oh my god! You’re Supergirl!”

“I am, which is why you will need to cover for me if I have to step out for a moment.”

“Of course! Oh my god, I can’t believe I am going to be working for Supergirl! I know you have only been on the hero scene for a few weeks, but I am a huge fan! I love everything that you stand for! I don’t mean to sound like a fangirl, but wow. Just, wow.”

Kara quickly changed back into her work clothes before she took her seat again. “Now that all of that is out of the way, you can speak to Jess outside of Ms. Luthor’s office. She knows my identity as well so you don’t need to worry about watching what you say to her. Also, both Ms. Luthor and Lucy Lane know as well. And please, call me Kara.”

“Of course, Kara. When did you want me to start?”

“Jess will walk you through everything else you need to know today, but please be here at 8 am tomorrow morning. I won’t normally make you work weekends, but it is going to be a busy week.”

“Absolutely!” Nia said with a smile. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Kara.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking out of the office, Nia went over to who she assumed to be Jess who was currently engrossed in her tablet. “Excuse me, Jess?”

The woman startled from her tablet at Nia’s voice. “Ahh, Nia. I take it the interview went well?”

Nia had briefly met Jess before when she was let into Kara’s office, but now that she was able to actually get a good look at her she was speechless. Jess was a short, Asian woman with long black hair and beautiful brown eyes that Nia could get lost in. In fact, she did get lost in them and it took her a moment to realize that Jess had asked her a question that she had completely missed.

However, instead of saying something sensible like asking her to repeat the question, she said perhaps the most embarrassing thing she could. “You have beautiful eyes,” she said in a daze.

“I… thank you, Nia, but…”

Realizing what she said she immediately cut Jess off. “I mean, what did you say? I am so sorry about that. Sometimes my mind just goes complete gay mode one me when I see a beautiful woman and oh my god. I’ll shut up now,” she said.

Jess couldn’t help but smile at the adorable woman in front of her who was now brighter than a tomato. “I’m flattered, Nia, but I asked how the interview went.”

“Oh, it went great,” Nia said, glad for something else to focus on. “Ms. Danvers told me that you would walk me through the final paperwork and explain the finer points of the job to me.”

“Of course, Nia. Also if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime I wouldn’t be opposed.”

“Wait, really? Nia said, shocked.

“What can I say?” Jess said with a smirk. “Your rambling was very adorable and very flattering.”

“I… I would love that,” Nia said while blushing profusely. “I know that Ms. Danvers needs me here tomorrow morning, but perhaps during our lunch break?”

“That sounds great. I have Kara’s schedule here for you so we can make something work. Now, before we get too distracted, I have some paperwork I need you to sign.”

Meanwhile, in her office, Kara was dying of laughter after listening to the gay disaster taking place outside her doors.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning Kara was walking into the executive elevator at 7:30 when Nia ran up to join her.

“Goodmorning, Ms. Dan… I mean Kara. When you said you wanted me here at 8, I thought you would be arriving later,” she said as she handed a latte to Kara. “I hope you don’t mind, but I got your order from Jess. She is quite a lovely woman.”

“It’s fine, Nia. I will usually be here early. You still don’t have to be here before 8, however.”

“Please, Kara. You hired me to be your assistant and to help you shield your, well, you know,” she said while gesturing wildly at Kara, which made her chuckle.

“Well, if that’s what you are worried about, I can promise you I will never be here before 7 without letting you know beforehand.” The elevator dinged, and they both stepped out onto the top floor. “Before I get started, I have a list of people for you that are always allowed to see me.”

“Of course,” Nia said as she pulled out her tablet.

“Obviously, Lena Luthor is allowed to see me at any time. Then there is Alex Danvers, Eliza Danvers, Lucy Lane, Winn Schott, Diana Prince, and Cat Grant. Please inform any of them if I am in a meeting but if they insist, allow them in to see me. Everyone on that list besides Cat knows about my identity, but I have a very strong feeling that she knows and just isn’t saying anything.”

“Of course, is there anything else you wanted to add?”

“Yes, as for the people who are not allowed in my office, there are only two so far. Clark Kent and James Olsen. Under no circumstances are they allowed anywhere near my office.” Nia quickly writes that down as she walks alongside Kara towards her office.

“Anything else?” 

“Nope, I think that’s it for now.” 

“Okay well, the only thing you have to do today is your meeting with Dr. Danvers at 9 am later today and you’re free after that.” Finally reaching her office, Kara opens the door and holds it open for Nia. Kara walks around her desk and sits down.

“When I’m done meeting with my mom, I’ll only have paperwork to finish up. Seems like a slow day today.” 

“Yeah seems like it. I’ll be at my desk if you need me then.” Nodding, Kara starts her seemingly slow day.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Kara had offered her a job at LuthorCorp she had thought it was just her daughter being nice. She hadn’t expected anything to actually come of it. Yet here she was, walking into the LuthorCorp headquarters at 8:45 in the morning. She walked up to the reception desk where she was promptly greeted. 

“Good morning, was there something I can help you with?”

“Yes, I’m Dr. Danvers and I had a 9 am meeting with Kara Danvers.”

“Of course Dr. Danvers. I’ll just need to see your ID first.”

Eliza quickly handed over her ID so that the receptionist could verify it. It was quickly handed back to her and she was walked over to an elevator.

“This elevator will take you to the top floor. Ms. Danvers’s office will be the first one on the right.”

“Thank you Miss. Have a lovely day,” Eliza said to the young woman.

“You as well, Dr. Danvers.”

As the elevator began to move, Eliza couldn’t help but be impressed. She had always known that her daughter was going to do great things, but this was beyond what she had ever hoped for. She couldn’t wait to be able to work with her daughter.

The elevator dinged and Eliz stepped out onto the floor. She quickly made her way over to where the receptionist said Kara’s office would be and stopped in front of the secretary.

“Hello!” Nia greeted her. “Dr. Danvers I presume?”

“That is correct. Is Kara ready for me?”

“She is indeed! Have a lovely day Dr. Danvers.”

Eliza walked into Kara’s office and shut the door. However, as soon as she turned around, she was assaulted by a hug from her youngest daughter.

“You have no idea how excited to be working with you, mom.”

“I feel the same, Kara,” she said as she hugged her daughter back. “I always knew that you were meant for great things, but this is so far beyond what I had ever hoped for.”

“I had always planned on starting my own company one day,” Kara said as she released her mother and moved to take a seat, “but this opportunity was too good to pass up.”

“Of that I have no doubt. I mean, look at this office,” Eliza said, gesturing to the spacious room. “My baby girl is moving up in the world.”

Kara couldn’t help but blush at her mother’s praise. “Just wait until you see the house.”

“Oh I heard. Your sister won’t stop raving about it.”

“Speaking of, if you need a place to stay while you get an apartment, I have more than enough guest rooms available.”

“You don’t need to do that Kara. I am fine with getting a hotel.”

“I insist, mom. I have more than enough space. Having you there will be no trouble at all.”

“As long as you are sure, sweetie.”

“I am. Now, let’s get down to business. The Board has approved the department so as long as you are sure, LuthorCorp is ready to make a formal offer of employment. You would be getting the standard contract that we give to any lead researcher or department head,” Kara said as she handed her mother a folder. “All of the job requirements and benefits are listed there.”

Eliza took a quick look through the packet before responding. “This is perfectly fine, Kara.” She signed where she needed to and handed it back to Kara, keeping a copy for herself.

“So I take it you are accepting the job, then?” Kara said with a smile.

“Yes sweetie, I am accepting the job.”

“Wonderful! Could you please get me a list of everything that you will need, from employees to equipment, and have it back to me by Tuesday?”

“I already know most of what I will need, so I can have it done by Monday.”

“Excellent, I’ll schedule a meeting with Lena then for Monday at 1 pm, if that sounds good.”

“That sounds good, Kara. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get settled in one of your guest rooms.”

“I’ll take you there now, then. You were my only meeting that I had today. The rest is just paperwork.”

Stepping out of her office, Kara quickly had Jess schedule their meeting for Monday before taking her mother to get situated.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once it was time for her lunch break, Jess paged Kara’s office. “Ms. Danvers, I am going on my lunch break. Is there anything you need before I go?”

_ “I’ll be fine, Nia. Enjoy your coffee date with Jess.” _

“I… I’m not…”

_ “Relax, Nia, what you do on your own time is your business. I’ll see you later this afternoon.” _

“But, how did you even know?”

_ “I can literally hear everything that happens in this building, Nia.” _

Nia could practically hear the smirk in Kara’s voice as she spoke. “Right. Well, if you need me, just shoot me a text.”

Right as Nia ended the call, Jess walked up to her desk. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. Also, Kara knows about us. She overheard us yesterday,” Nia said while blushing.

This caused Jess to laugh. “Of course she did. With hearing like hers it doesn’t surprise me. I take it you have heard of Noonan’s?”

“Oh god, I love Noonan’s!”

After they were seated at Noonan’s, Nia immediately started feeling awkward again. This was her first date in years and she was afraid of rejection. Jess saved her from her thoughts, however.

“So, Nia, tell me a bit about yourself. How has an attractive girl like you managed to stay single?”

“Well, you see…” Nia began fidgeting in her chair as she decided on what to say. “I’m transgender. I just want to get that out there now. I mean, I’ve completely finished transition, surgeries and all, but I want you to know going in.” As soon as she said that, Nia shrank into her seat, waiting to be rejected, just like all the times before.

“Well, you’re beautiful, Nia,” Jess said as she took Nia’s hand in her own. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“I… you’re not upset?” Nia asked as she looked up to look Jess in the eyes.

“Why would I be? People who have an issue with something like that are assholes and not worth your time. Thank you for telling me.”

“Now might also be a good time to mention that my mother is from the planet Naltor.”

At this Jess was surprised. “I… that’s… wow. I didn’t expect that. Still, it doesn’t change how I see you, I mean as long as there are no tentacles, because I draw the line at tentacles,” Jess said with a laugh.

This made Nia burst out laughing, all of her anxiety washing away. “No, there are no tentacles or anything else unexpected, I promise.” Taking Jess’s hand back in her own, she couldn’t help but feel relieved. “Thank you,” Nia whispered, “for being so accepting. Most people would have run for the hills by now.”

“Well, I’m not most people. Besides given the people that we work for, this is like the least surprising part of my week.”

“That is a very fair point,” Nia said with a laugh. “But enough about me, tell me something about you.”

“Well, there isn’t much to say, really. I come from a stereotypical Asian family that wanted me to be a doctor. When they realized that wasn’t going to happen, they pretty much stopped speaking to me.”

“I am so sorry about that,” Nia said. “They don’t sound like the nicest people.”

“They really aren’t. All they care about is status. In fact, I have a very strong suspicion that they are going to try and crawl back into my life if they figure out that I work for Lena Luthor. Are your parents supportive of you?”

Nia smiled at the thought of her family. “My entire family has been very supportive of me throughout everything, and I am so, so grateful for them.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Jess said brightly.

It was at this moment that the waitress brought them their drinks.

“So, I know you have only worked for LuthorCorp like a week longer than I have,” Nia said, “but is there any interesting gossip floating around?”

“I wouldn’t quite call it gossip, yet, but you could cut the sexual tension between Lena and Kara with a knife.”

Nia’s eyes widened at this. “Seriously? They would make like the hottest power couple ever!”

“I know right!” Jess said excitedly. “Talk about not following in their family’s footsteps. Sadly, I believe Lena wants to keep things professional between them.”

Nia deflated slightly at this. “Darn. I really need to see them together now. I mean, they are both so gorgeous!”

“Yeah, it’s insane. I mean, I think Kara is all for a relationship, so it is only a matter of time before they sleep together.”

“God, I hope so. I need this ship in my life.”

Nia and Jess continued chatting, completely losing track of time until an alarm went off on Nia’s phone letting them both know that their lunch break was almost over.

“Oh, wow, I completely lost track of time,” Nia said as they both stood up.

“Well, I will take that as a compliment,” Jess said with a wink. After a moment she continued. “Look, Nia, I really like you, and I would love it if I could take you on a date tomorrow night.”

“I would love that.” Nia was doing her best to stay calm, but internally she was screaming. “I am glad I’m not the only one feeling this way.”

By this point, they were standing right in front of each other and Nia suddenly had the urge to kiss Jess. Taking a step closer, Nia left enough room for Jess to back out if she wanted. Thankfully, that didn’t happen as Jess closed the distance to connect their lips in a kiss. It didn’t last long, as they were still in a public place, but by the end of the kiss, Nia was breathing heavily and wishing that they didn’t have to return to work.

“Wow,” Nia breathed.

“Wow indeed. I can’t wait to see where this goes tomorrow, but we should really return to work before I get distracted.”

“Sadly,” Nia said with a sigh.

“Hey, at least now we know that we have something to look forward to tomorrow night.”

“Yeah,” Nia said, staring at Jess’s lips.

“Are you coming, Nia.”

“Not yet, but I really want to.” Realizing that she said that out loud, she slapped her hand over her mouth, mortified. “I am so sorry, I cannot believe I said that out loud.”

Jess, however, was giving her a very seductive look. “Well, at least I have something to look forward to tomorrow night.”

“I… we… yeah…” Nia said, all flustered. “We should get back to work.”

“Yes, we should. Wear something fancy tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Nia said, still in an embarrassed daze.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, at the DEO, they had just received an alert of an alien breaking into another local chemical plant. 

“Status report!” Hank barks out.

“We've confirmed six similar attacks on chemical plants across the country over the past year.”

“Safe to assume he’s the same alien from our last mission?”

“Yes sir.”

“He's been making his way to National City with enough chemical components to build a weapon of mass destruction. We need to find him, fast.” 

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The tests we ran on his blood indicate his alien DNA isn't carbon-based like humans. It has a chlorine foundation.”

“Meaning what?”

“He’s not creating a bomb sir, he’s eating the DDT.” 

“Right…”

“It’s safe to assume that his home planet’s atmospheric conditions were similar to that of DDT. Since DDT was banned, the government has been destroying the remaining stockpiles. His food source is shrinking.”

“Well if this thing is hungry, let’s buy him dinner.”

“Agent Danvers, assemble your team. You head out in 10 minutes. Make it quick.”

“Shouldn’t we call in Supergirl though? She could handle this alien a lot faster.”

“We can’t grow to depend on Supergirl. There may come a time when she won’t be available anymore and we need to prepare for that. We’ve gotten this far without her. We can take care of this. Now get to it.”

“Yes sir.” 

A while later, Alex is in a vehicle with a stockpile of DDT. The plan is to lure him out of the building without causing any unnecessary destruction.   
  


Dispatcher:  _ Greyhound, this is Trap One, no sign of the hostile.  _

_ Copy, Trap One. Stay alert.  _

“Let's hope this movable feast is too hard to resist,” Alex says to Hank over the comm in her ear.

“He’s been able to find DDT just fine, I’m sure whatever he’s using to find it has picked up on you guys. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Then where the hell is he?”

_ Trap One, the target is on your vehicle! _

Alex doesn’t have much time to react before the roof of the car is being ripped open. She struggles with getting to her sidearm but ultimately fails as the alien grabs onto her and yanks her out of the car. He shoots out stingers from his tail at the remaining people in the car. Instead of taking the DDT and killing Alex, he instead decides to take Alex with him. He knocks her out before jumping out of the car and running off.

“Alex? Alex!” Hank yells out but receives no answer. He slams his fist against the desk nearest to him as he rubs his temple. 

“Damn it” He grumbles to himself. He straightens his back and looks towards one of his other Agents.

“Agent Vasquez, get me a line to Kara Danvers please.” 

“Yes sir.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The alien had run many miles towards an abandoned warehouse. He wasn’t sure how receptive his bosses would be to him bringing the human but he’s willing to try anyway. They’ve been getting too close for comfort lately anyway. He’s just about to enter when he gets startled by someone behind him.

“This wasn’t the purpose of your mission.” He turns as he sees the General floating above him.

“She didn’t show, but this is one of the human agents. I’m hoping it’s enough to get you off my back.” 

The General glares at him but settles for what he has.

“It’ll do.”

The General scans Alex and sees the comm in her ear. They remove it from her ear and bring it up towards their face. Pressing the button on the side of the comm, they speak.

“This is The General. If you want your agent back alive, you will send Supergirl to 33°43′15″N 118°16′20″W, alone. Any attempt to rescue her in any way will result in her death. You have 12 hours.” With that, they crush the comm in their hands.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other side of the comm all there is silence as the General’s words register. 

“I was already planning on doing that,” Hank grunts as he excuses himself to his office. The phone is ringing in his hand but he knew he was in for a world of hurt when Kara Danvers finds out what just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fun fact, if you google those coordinates, they will take you to an old warehouse district located in The Port of Las Angeles. At the time that this story takes place, it was abandoned, although I don't know about now.
> 
> Also, get ready for the next chapter because it is going to be a doozy. Soooo, so much will be happening.

**Author's Note:**

> Commentary is encouraged and appreciated.


End file.
